ODISSI NATYA SALA®
Odissi Natya Sala (founded in 1999 by Smt. Anita Babu with Guru Gangadhar Pradhan as co-founder) is a cultural institution dedicated to training, creation, and outreach through Odissi dance, with a strong emphasis on youth engagement and cross-cultural relevance. Under Anita Babu’s leadership, the institution functions as a laboratory for dialogue, where classical technique meets contemporary themes and diverse audiences. The school is co-founded by Anita’s Guru Late Guru Gangadhar Pradhan (Padmashree awardee; Central and Odisha State SNA awardee)
The school is empaneled with ICCR, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Ministry of Culture (Govt. of India) and regularly engages with unconventional spaces, interdisciplinary collaborators, and socially responsive themes.
Odissi Natya Sala is registered as a Society in Delhi under the Societies Registration Act (XXI) of 1860. Odissi Natya Sala is affiliated to Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh and follows their syllabus.
Pedagogy
Odissi Natya Sala is a space where tradition, discipline, and inner growth come together. Rooted in the classical grammar of Odissi, our training begins with posture, rhythm, alignment, and technique, and gradually unfolds into expression, musicality, and awareness.
We believe dance is more than learning steps. Through consistent practice, students learn to listen—to their bodies, to music, and to themselves. Odissi becomes a way to develop focus, balance, and sensitivity, both on and off the stage.
Teaching follows the Guru–Shishya tradition, where learning happens through patience, repetition, and personal guidance. Each student is supported according to their own pace, encouraging confidence, clarity, and inner strength.
Our aim is not only to train skilled dancers, but to nurture thoughtful human beings—individuals who move through life with awareness, compassion, and harmony. Through Odissi, students discover how movement can become mindfulness, and practice can become a quiet return to self.
ANITA BABU – in her own words
I am an Odissi dancer — a seeker who listens with the body and speaks through movement.
Over time, this sacred dance became my guru, guiding me inward and transforming how I understand life. What Odissi has offered me, I now share with others.
For me, teaching is a sacred act. Dance is not only about mastering technique, but about remembering who we are beneath life’s noise. My purpose is to nurture not just dancers, but aware and compassionate human beings.
Through Odissi, we learn balance amid life’s rhythms — turning stress into stillness, movement into mindfulness.
In each gesture, a prayer.
In each breath, a return.
ANITA BABU – artistic profile
Anita Babu is an internationally experienced Odissi dancer, educator, and choreographer whose work bridges classical Indian dance, contemporary social inquiry, and cultural diplomacy. With over three decades of performance experience and more than fifteen years of teaching, she approaches Odissi as both a traditional discipline and a universal movement language that fosters dialogue across cultures and generations.
Trained under Padmashree Guru Late Gangadhar Pradhan at Orissa Dance Academy, Bhubaneswar, her practice is rooted in lineage while remaining open to meaningful experimentation. Guided by the philosophy “Dance to Express, Not to Impress,” she uses dance as a medium for empathy, reflection, and community connection.
Empanelled with ICCR and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, she has presented performances, workshops, and lecture-demonstrations internationally across the USA, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Her work emphasises accessibility, intercultural understanding, women’s leadership, and the transformative potential of the arts.
GURU GANGADHAR PRADHAN
Guru Gangadhar Pradhan – one of the foremost exponents of Odissi Dance – is one of the Founders of Orissa Dance Academy. At the tender age of six, he received his training as Gotipua Dancer. After completing his Natya Acharya in Odissi from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya under able guidance of Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Dr. Minati Mishra & Guru Deb Prasad Das, he received intensive training from Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra. Apart from mastering the delicate nuances and the subtleties of Odissi, he is an excellent Mardala player. A recipient of the State Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1993, the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1998 and the Padmashree award from President of India in 2008.
Guru Gangadhar is the first person in the field of Orissan art to be bestowed with the prestigious assignment of teaching at the famed Cornell University(USA) as a visiting faculty. He has also served as the President of Orissa State Sangeet Natak Akademi for a tenure of one year (2006-07).To promote, preserve and project the classical tradition and culture, Guru Gangadhar is at helm of Konark Dance & Music Festival, Dhauli Mahotsav, Kalinga Kala Utsav and Odissi Sandhya organized every year in Orissa. He was awarded the prestigious Padmashree award in the year 2007 by His Excellency, the President of India, Honorary D. Lit. from Utkal University of Culture. He breathed his last on 10th October, 2010 due to a massive brain stroke.
Dream Unlimited
Let me honestly confess, I am not a serious thinker, rather I dream wild. I believe that thinking operates in a limited sphere. It is said that conscious mind compromises; it gives up soon. Probably for these reasons rational and realistic people cannot do something spectacular. They may be worldly-wise, but may not do justice to their abilities. They are not aware of the propelling power of an unfilled dream. Dreams by definition are not related to the ground realities. As a dreamer, one is constantly on the move; in the world of surrealism, one is neither worldly nor wise. I may not have achieved much in tangible terms; but I love chasing the dreams as they are beautiful and unlimited. For espousing the cause of Orissan art forms, probably my plans and efforts were painted on a huge canvas and many thought I was crazy. But thankfully, today there are so many to share my vision, dreamscape, strive to shape them into reality. The seeds sown, tilled, watered and manured in my dreamscape have sprouted into healthy saplings. If nourished and nurtured, soon there will be efflorescence all around. And of course, fruition of my dreams is not far off. Tomorrow, when this old bloke is dead and gone, there will be thousands of Gangadhar Pradhans to dream for preserving and propagating the Orissan art all over the globe. My soul will shed tears of joy from above, and remain indebted to Lord Jagannath for giving courage to dream.
– Padmashree Guru Gagadhar Pradhan.
ARUNA MOHANTY
Guru Dr. Aruna Mohanty is one of the finest dancers and choreographers in the field of Odissi. She has been a student and Secretary of Orissa Dance Academy, a premiere Cultural institution in Bhubaneswar. Her unique skill and versatility make her the recipient of many awards and accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from Outlook Magazine, State Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Honorary D. Litt from Rama Devi Women’s University and the 4th highest civilian award of India – PADMASHRI.
The Odissi Natya Sala family is indebted to her for her constant help and guidance in the various activities and working of ONS.
