Christel Stevens

🪔 About

Christel Stevens is an American-born exponent of Indian classical dance, renowned for her expertise in the Manipuri style. She has significantly contributed to the promotion and preservation of Indian classical dance in the United States as a performer, teacher, researcher, and author. Stevens is a distinguished founding member of the Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA), an organization established in 1994 in Arlington, Virginia, with the mission to broaden the community's engagement with diverse traditional Indian dance forms. Her organizational prowess was evident in her role as a key organizer for "Darpana: Dance Reflections," a major Indian dance festival held in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in 1999. This festival showcased the talents of over 100 dancers from across the East Coast and Calcutta, highlighting various styles including Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and her specialty, Manipuri. Beyond her organizational and performance roles, Stevens is an active educator, teaching Manipuri dance from her home, often in collaboration with her Indian husband. Her commitment to the art form is also reflected in her scholarly pursuits. She authored a multi-part series of articles titled "Bringing Manipuri Dance To The World Stage," which were notably webcasted by E-Pao! in 2006. This work built upon her presentation at the 17th International Congress on Dance Research in Naxos in 2003, where she discussed the global reach of Manipuri dance. Further demonstrating her academic engagement, Stevens completed her Master's thesis in 1997 at American University, titled "Aunties and gurus: Women's contributions to Asian Indian dance." Her research for this thesis, conducted between 1995 and 1996, involved a study of Indian dance teachers in the Washington, D.C. area and explored the pivotal roles women have played in the evolution of Manipuri, Odissi, Bharata Natyam, and Kathak dance styles. Through her multifaceted efforts, Christel Stevens has played a vital role in fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Indian classical dance, particularly Manipuri, both locally and internationally.