Rajashree Chintak Behera

🪔 About

Rajashree Chintak Behera is a well-accomplished Odissi dancer, recognized as an advocate for the traditional Odissi dance form. Her performances are often described with words like 'gaiety, lyricism, and beauty'. She received her initial training in Odissi under the tutelage of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir and Guru Harihar Mohanty, learning the style of the late Guru Durga Debaprasad Das. Behera holds a Bisarada Purna degree in Odissi Dance from Akhila Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai. Additionally, she possesses a Master's degree in Economics from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. Throughout her career, Rajashree Chintak Behera has performed extensively both in India and internationally. Notable performances in India include Apna Utsav (New Delhi, 1986), Konark Dance Festival (Orissa, 1995), and the International Odissi Festival (Bhubaneswar, 2006). Her international engagements have taken her to countries such as Australia (Perth, 1987), China (1989), North Korea (1989), Uzbekistan (Tashkent, 1990), the U.K. (Oxford, 1995), Bulgaria (Sofia and Plovdiv, 1998 and 1999), Germany (1999), and the USA (International Odissi Festival, 2003; Indiana State University, 2002). She has also been involved in performances and choreography of dance dramas for Oriya conventions in the USA in 2002 and 2003. In 2006, she performed 'Mohane deli chahi,' an Oriya abhinaya choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, at the International Odissi Festival. Beyond her performing career, Behera has held significant administrative roles. As of July 2014, she served as the Regional Director for the Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in Kolkata. By April 2020, she was the First Secretary (Culture) to China. Currently, Rajashree Chintak Behera resides in Moscow, Russia, with her husband, Dr. Subhakanta Behera, and their two children, Ananya and Amruta, where she serves as India's cultural ambassador, promoting Odissi dance to Russian audiences.