Janhabi Behera

🪔 About

Janhabi Behera is a prominent Indian classical Odissi dancer, known for her expressive abhinaya and intricate technicalities. Born in Bhubaneswar, India, she began her formal training in Odissi dance in 1991 at the age of 13. Her initial gurus were Shri Yudhistir Nayak and Guru Ramesh Chandra Jena at the Orissa Dance Academy. She further honed her skills under the guidance of Guru Shri Gangadhar Pradhan and Smt. Aruna Mohanty. Behera joined the Orissa Dance Academy in 1993 and later completed her Nritya Visharad in Odissi from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh. With a career spanning over two decades, Janhabi Behera has performed extensively both as a soloist and as part of the Odissi repertoire of the Orissa Dance Academy. Her performances have taken her across India and to numerous countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Mauritius, the UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Oman, and North Korea. She is also a choreographer, having worked for Doordarshan Kendra in Bhubaneswar, and has served on the board of the National Festival of Dance Drama since 1998. Beyond performing, Behera is dedicated to teaching, instructing at the Orissa Dance Academy and running her own training institute, 'Nrutya Janhabi', from her home in Bhubaneswar. Awards & Honours: Sringarmani, Senior National Scholarship, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2017).