Sushmita Banerjee

🪔 About

Sushmita Banerjee is a renowned Kathak exponent, choreographer, and dance researcher from India, recognized for her exceptional skills and performances globally. She commenced her Kathak training at the tender age of four in the Lucknow Gharana. Her extensive tutelage includes guidance from Pandit Ramnarayan Mishra, Shrimati Maya Chatterjee, and Pandit Vijay Shankar. She also briefly learned from the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj, under whose guidance she revived the 'Katha Shaili' of Kathak, a narrative style emphasizing storytelling through dance. Banerjee is a graded artiste of Doordarshan and an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). She has performed in major festivals across India and internationally, including venues in Europe, Africa, North America, South-East Asia, Japan, and the Middle East. Her choreographic works were presented at UNESCO in Tokyo in 2007. She has also undertaken extensive research, notably in reviving old compositions of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh, for which she received the Emeritus Fellowship from the Government of India. As a dedicated teacher, Sushmita Banerjee has established dance centers in Kolkata, Kerala, and Geneva. She is the co-founder of Deshopriyo Kolkata Cultural Centre (DKCC) and recently started The Kerala Gharana, a platform for learning, teaching, and sharing Indian dance and culture. Her gurukul in Kolkata welcomes students from various countries, including the U.S.A, Germany, Kuwait, Switzerland, Russia, Spain, and Holland. She is also associated with SPICMACAY, conducting workshops in educational institutions across India. Awards & Honours: Emeritus Fellowship, One of the top 100 ICONIC Artists (2021), Best Choreography Award (2021), Sringarmani Award, Arya Natya Samaj, Nritya Sadhana Puraskar.