Swaha in Mohiniyattam
Sanjukta Banerjee, York University, Canada
Swaha in Mohiniyattam (performance)
Mohiniyattam is a traditional dance from predominantly practiced by women. But since the last few decades men are embodying and empowering their emotional vent with the enchanting movement quality of Mohiniyattam. This dance presentation is a rare showcase which includes a male and a female duo Mohiniyattam dancer engaging in a traditional repertoire. it highlights the purush and the prakriti, the masculine and feminine elements of Nature working parallel for maintaining synergy and harmony in the Universe.
Sanjukta Banerjee is a performer, choreographer, research scholar, and educator, and an award-winning performer of mohiniyattam, bharatanatyam, and kathakali. She has performed in national and international dance and theatre festivals in India, and has toured extensively in South East Asia, the Middle East, and North America with her solo and group productions. An empanelled dancer with Indian Television, she has enacted the Mother Goddess, Durga, for National transmission for ten consecutive years (1994-2004). Founding member and Artistic Director of Saugandhikam Dance Academy, Toronto and Kolkata, she also conducts online dance lessons for students in India and the United States. Banerjee has offered lecture-demonstrations, workshops, and paper presentations in various universities in India, Europe, Canada, and the US. She has won numerous awards in India and Canada, and is currently a Research Scholar at York University, Toronto. Her focus lies in merging technique with grace and vibrancy in Indian classical dance forms.