Niharika Mohanty.

BIOGRAPHY

Niharika Mohanty was Oriya born, raised in Canada, and currently resides in the Bay area in California. She is a disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and respected him as a father and spiritual guide. She has initiated many projects and jointly choreographed with several Indian classical dancers of different styles and also with dancers of non-Indian styles, including initiating a couple of collectives, most recently, Kalashri Sangha in the Bay Area for the collective promotion of Odissi by herself, Srimati Jyoti Rout, Sri Vishnu Tattva Das, Srimati Asako Takami, and for awhile, Srimati Leena Mohanty.

Niharika Mohanty has an M.A. in Dance from York University in Toronto, and has been performing professionally for the past 20 years. She studied with the late, legendary guru, Padma Vibhushuan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, in Bhubaneswar, India, and performed leading roles as a part of his troupe. She has performed solo role replica throughout North America and in India, and in many national and international festivals. Niharika began teaching odissi in 1993 and formally choreographing in 1996. Originally from the Toronto vicinity, she received several Canadian grants for her training and choreography, and is now establishing an institution in the Bay Area dedicated to her guru.