Pratibha Sharma

🪔 About

Dr. Pratibha Sharma is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and researcher, primarily recognized for her contributions to Sattriya dance. Born in Tezpur, Assam, she began her dance journey at the tender age of five, initially learning Sattriya under Guru Tillesho Tambuli. She further honed her Sattriya skills under the guidance of Guru Rasheswar Saikia Borbayan, starting at age eight, and is a senior disciple of the eminent Guru Jatin Goswami. Beyond Sattriya, Dr. Sharma has also received extensive training in other classical dance forms. She studied Odissi for ten years under Guru Gorima Hazarika and later under the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Additionally, she is trained in Kathak, having learned from Guru Shanti Shankar Das Gupta in Tezpur and Guru Bipul Chandra Das in Guwahati. Dr. Pratibha Sharma is the founder and General Secretary of Saptaswa, a socio-cultural organization based in Tezpur, Assam, dedicated to the growth and expansion of Sattriya and other Indian classical dances. She is also recognized as the founder of Abhinaya Dance Academy, an institution for Sattriya and Odissi. She has choreographed numerous Sattriya productions and has created collaborative dance pieces, such as "Anubhav," which explores similarities between Sattriya and Odissi. Her collaborative work includes adapting Rabindranath Tagore's "Chitrangada" into a dance drama blending Sattriya and Kathakali, where she performed the role of Kurupa alongside Kathakali exponent Prabal Gupta. Academically, Dr. Sharma holds a Master's degree in Botany and a PhD in Plant Biotechnology from Guwahati University. She is a visiting faculty member at Royal Global University and Guwahati University, and a panel member of CCRT New Delhi. Her dedication to promoting Sattriya is evident through her organization of numerous workshops across Assam. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2014).