Shagun Butani

🪔 About

Shagun Butani is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, researcher, and teacher, renowned for her expertise in Odissi and Seraikella Chhau. With over two and a half decades of experience, she has performed, conducted workshops, and delivered lecture-demonstrations both in India and internationally, contributing significantly to the preservation, promotion, and reinterpretation of India's classical dance traditions. She is also one of the few women performers of Seraikella Chhau. Butani's journey in dance began with early training under Mrs. Uma Shetty in Lucknow. She initially explored Bharatanatyam and Kathakali before dedicating herself to Odissi, drawn by its lyrical grace and classical technique. She received meticulous training in Odissi from Aloka Panikar in Delhi, who guided her through her first classical training and solo debut. Further deepening her understanding, she trained with the eminent Guru Gangadhar Pradhan in Bhubaneswar. A decade into her Odissi journey, she expanded her repertoire, undertaking a purposeful exploration of Seraikella Chhau and studying American Contemporary Dance in the United States, which infused a new sensibility into her work. She is the founder of the Sudhaaya Dance Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting audiences with India's cultural heritage and highlighting the contemporary relevance of traditional art forms. Her artistic practice encompasses performance, choreography, and curation, with choreographic works like “Door” and “To Shiva – Offerings of a Fragmented Heart.” Butani has also curated festivals such as “Devi – Goddess on My Mind” and “Unmasking the Tradition: The Story of Seraikella Chhau.” Her scholarly contributions include scripting dance films for the Sangeet Natak Akademi and delivering lectures at prestigious venues like the National Museum, New Delhi. She is also a visiting faculty member at the Sushma Swaraj Institute for Foreign Studies, educating the diplomatic community on Indian dance and music traditions. As a teacher, she blends technical rigor with a focus on inner awareness, guiding students to view dance as a spiritual practice. She has been teaching for over 25 years, including outreach in schools serving underprivileged communities.