Silvia Vona

🪔 About

Silvia Vona is an Odissi dancer, performer, and teacher, originally from Rome, Italy. Her early dance training began at "Filomarino" in Rome, where she studied contemporary dance, ballet, Graham technique, and contact-improvisation. She also explored acrobatic, theatre, and choreography workshops, including gestural theatre and mask use under Isaac Alvarez, with whom she collaborated and staged choreographies in Italy and France. Her passion for Indian culture led her to complete a BA in Oriental Studies at the University "La Sapienza" of Rome. In 2007, while studying contemporary dance, she enrolled in the Department of Oriental Languages and Cultures at "La Sapienza" and began studying Bharatnatyam and Dasi Attam with scholar Tiziana Leucci. In 2008, she received a scholarship from "La Sapienza" University to study for six months at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. It was in 2009 that her encounter with Odissi dance profoundly changed her path, leading her to dedicate herself to intensive training in this art form. Silvia Vona commenced and continues her Odissi training under the tutelage of eminent Guru Rina Jana, a senior disciple of Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, in Kolkata, India. She was awarded the prestigious ICCR scholarship from 2014 to 2016 to pursue advanced training in Odissi dance with Guru Rina Jana. She has performed Odissi extensively as a soloist and as a member of the Krittika Dance Ensemble, led by Rina Jana, in various festivals across India, Italy, and Iran. Notable performances include Nrtyautsab in West Bengal, the International Student Day in Kolkata, Mahagami festival in Aurangabad, Taj Mahotsav, and the Uttar-Purva Nritya Parv organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi. She has also been invited by the Embassy of India in Rome to perform for events such as the India-Italy Sangam in 2018. Beyond performing, Silvia Vona is also a teacher, currently instructing Odissi in various schools in Rome for both adults and children, and organizing workshops and private classes. She has also engaged in choreographic work, collaborating with musicians, photographers, and visual artists in Italy, India, and Iran. Awards & Honours: ICCR Scholarship (2014).