Nilanjana Banerjee.
BIOGRAPHY
Nilanjana Banerjee was initiated into dance at an early age by the renowned Odissi revivalist Guru Mayadhar Raut of Delhi. She holds a Diploma in performing arts. Her solo debut was at an Indian community event at Hartford, Connecticut. In India, she performed at various youth cultural festivals. For a few years, she learnt Bharatnatyam from Guru Smt. Vasanti Subramanium at the Bhatkhande Hindustani Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. Nilanjana took a brief hiatus from dance but her passion and quest for learning Odissi continued. She further trained with Guru Smt. Mitra Purkayastha, artistic director of Rhythms of dance and music, New Jersey. Smt. Mitra being an accomplished dancer-choreographer herself was able to enhance Nilanjana's dance skills. Her guidance and encouragement proved a major turning point in Nilanjana's life. She seeks her Guru's blessings in all her endevours. Nilanjana strictly adheres to Guru Padmashree Murlidhar Maji's gharana.
To get a complete vision of Indian dance styles, Nilanjana is also training with the noted choreographer Sukalyan Bhattacharya of Toronto. Since relocating to the U.S., Nilanjana has performed extensively in the New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York area. Some of the organizations for whom she has been regularly performing include Festival of India by CIO, Pragati (Philadelphia), Kallol, ICC, NJPA, NABC 2005 Madison Square Garden, (Bengali Associations), BridgewaterTemple, Marathi Vishwa, Oriya society, Wayne, IFMP(Princeton).
In 2007, she performed at the Ekal Vidhyalaya fundraiser attended by the chairman of Zee TV network. She was a member of Guru Smt. Mitra's first prize winning team at the prestigious Zalak , 2009 Indian dance festival, Princeton. In 2009, she performs for the Banga Mela in Atlanta. Her love and devotion to dance has culminated in her performing and teaching Odissi. She conducts classes at the Hindu Samaj temple, Mahwah, New Jersey. For Nilanjana, Odissi is undoubtedly an enchanting spiritual journey for both the dancer and the audience.