Kelucharan
Mahapatra, Padmabhushan brought out the artiste
in her, guiding and molding her to place her
amongst the front ranking performers of Odissi.
Today, critics and connoisseurs the world over
acclaim her. Her performance reminds one of the
grace and beauty of temple sculptures, while its
lyrical qualities are akin to a poem. A rewarding
experience indeed!
Sutapa
has taken part in all prestigious dance festivals
of India. Ellora, Konarak, Dover Lane Music
Conference, Khajuraho, Elephanta as well as
several others. Under aegis of Sanskritiki,
London, she has performed all over England &
Scotland in 1984 and 1986. In 1987, she went on
tour to USA, Canada and several European
countries. In 1994, she performed in Indonesia.
She was awarded the title ‘Sringarmani’
by Sur Sringar Samsad, Bombay. She has adjudged
several dance competitions organized by the West
Bengal Sangeet Academy. She has conducted
workshops in various districts of West Bengal,
held by the Academy and also at Houston (USA).
She participates regularly in programmes held by
Zonal Cultural Centre of Govt. Of India. She
appears frequently on Doordarshan (T.V.), in
their regional and National Network dance
programmes.
In
between, Sutapa stays busy training aspiring
dancers at ‘Gurukul’, a school founded
by her at Calcutta in 1987. She is presently
working to explore the immense possibilities of
Odissi through her choreographic ideas.
