Kasturi Pattanaik Biography 
Kasturi Pattanaik is a trained classical dancer who performs Odissi. She is also a choreographer and teacher. Currently she is associated with an NGO, SANKALP, and promotes cultural and natural heritage serving as the programme director for culture. As a choreographer she has created nine pallavis, and also a few dance dramas. She is a recipient of "Abhinandanika – 1999" for excellent Abhinay in Odissi dance from Vishnupriya Smruti Sammana at Puri, Orissa. "Debadasi Samman" from Udayan Sanskritik Anusthan, 2003 and Rajendra Prasad Puraskar from "Rajendra Prasad Smruti Sansad" at Cuttack in 1997 are other major honours received by her. She has performed in many prestigious dance festivals across the country and abroad.
Kasturi Pattanaik hails from Cuttack, Orissa. She was born on 31 October 1966. One of the senior performing arts of Odissi dance form right now, she has trained numerous disciples and choreographed several dance pieces as well. During her childhood, she learnt Kathak along with Odissi, and later she completely switched over to Odissi. She studied at Odissi Research Centre (ORC) in Bhubaneswar, where she got opportunity to learn from the legend - Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and also Kumkum Mohanty, Gangadhar Pradhan and many more performing artists. She is one among the first batch of students from the institute.
After her stint at the Odissi Research Centre, she joined SANKALP in Delhi, where she served as programme director. She also made attempts to preserve tribal culture and folk art forms. She has performed on Doordarshan, and has appeared as an Odissi dancer for a few movies. Asavari, Bageshri, Pattadeep, Gati Sammikrutta, Hansadhwoni, Narayani, Janasammohini etc are some of the pallavis she created.
Published: September 29, 2018
Updated: September 29, 2018
