Geeta Mahalik (born 1948)"Odissi"
Sangeetnatak.com is an Indian

Odissi Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

honoured her with the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 2014 for her services to the field of art and culture.

Biography

Gita Mahalik began her training at a very early age from renowned guru, Deba Prasad Dash. This was followed by coaching under

Mayadhar Raut Guru Mayadhar Raut (born 6 July 1930) is an Indian classical Odissi dancer, choreographer and Guru. Early life and background Raut was born in the village Kantapenhara a Ahir family in Cuttack district, subsequently he received his dance trai ...

which helped Geeta to develop a style which many connoisseurs described as ''sheer poetry in motion''. Geeta has travelled extensively, performing in many countries across the globe like France, Switzerland, China, Italy, Spain, USA, Canada, Germany, Portugal, Greece and many other countries in the African continent. She has also performed at almost all of the major dance festivals in India,

Khajuraho Dance Festival The Khajuraho Dance Festival (''IAST:Khajuraho Nritya Samaroh''), organised by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, is a one-week festival of classical dances held annually beside the Khajuraho temples in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh st ...

, Ellora Dance Festival, Elephanta Dance Festival, Konarak Dance Festival,

Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is o ...

Festival,

Mukteshwar Mukteshwar is a village and tourist destination in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. It sits high in the Kumaon Hills at an altitude of 2171 meters (7500 feet), 51 km from Nainital, 72 km from Haldwani, and 343 ...

Dance Festival, Badri Kedar Utsav, Taj Festival, Kalidas Samaroh at

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain ...

, Ganga Mahotsav and Mandu Festival featuring among them. Geeta Mahalik presently lives in Delhi.

Legacy

Geeta Mahalik is generally credited with giving a national flavor to the traditional style of Odissi. She is also widely known to be a master of 'Rasa' (expression). Geeta has choreographed many dance dramas such as ''Lavanyavati'', ''Krishnabhilasha'' and ''Draupadi - Antim Prashna'' which have won critical acclaim. It is reported that she has brought in many innovative interpretations and religious and secular overtones through her choreography. Geeta Mahalik has founded a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

, ''Geeta's Upasana'', based in Delhi, for promoting arts and culture, especially odissi dance. The organization regularly stages performances in Delhi and outside.

Positions

* Founder Director - ''Geeta's Upasana'' * Member - Expert Committee on Odissi dance -

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* Member - General Council -

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and ...

* Member - General Council - Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi

Awards and recognitions

- 2014 * Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - 2010 * Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - 2012 * Gramini Award - India International Rural Cultural Centre * Senior National Fellowship -

Geeta Mahalik is on the artists panel of the

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...

References

External links

Interview in Shillong Times0

World record Odissi performance featuring 555 dancers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahalik, Geeta 1948 births Living people People from Koraput Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Performers of Indian classical dance Odissi exponents Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Indian female classical dancers 20th-century Indian dancers 20th-century Indian women artists Dancers from Odisha Women artists from Odisha