Sonal Mansingh - Odissi Dancer, Family and Life
Sonal Mansingh's Personal Details
Sonal Mansingh is an eminent Indian classical dancer and choreographer, renowned for her Odissi dancing style
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | April 30, 1944 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Famous | Dancers, Classical Dancers, Choreographers, Odissi Dancer |
| Spouses | Lalit Mansingh (Divorced) |
| Birth Place | Mumbai |
| Gender | Female |
| Father | Arvind Pakvasa |
| Mother | Poornima Pakvasa |
| Sun Sign | Taurus |
| Born in | Mumbai |
| Famous as | Odissi Dancer |
Sonal Mansingh's photo
Who is Sonal Mansingh?
Sonal Mansingh is an eminent Indian classical dancer and choreographer, renowned for her Odissi dancing style. Prominently a dancer, she is also a philosopher, social reformer, thinker, choreographer and teacher. Despite the fact that dancing was not seen as a respectable profession in her time, she fought her way and achieved excellence in dancing which eventually connected her with the world. To her, dance is the medium through which she can present the views of the unheard. Her dance performances are simply amazing and her works have always been highly applauded, bringing her a lot of fame and fortune. In the history of Indian dance, her body of work is unique in range and scope, and covers several themes, both of traditional and contemporary interest. Lately, her work has shifted towards issues concerning women, environment, prison reforms and re-interpretation of ancient myths. A mesmerizing dancer, she is also a fine orator and through her determined participation in seminars, discussions, workshops and lectures she is able to influence a lot of people of her community. According to her, dance should speak the issues concerning the society at large and dancers must have love for literature, poetry, languages, sculpture and painting as dance is a rare confluence of all these arts.
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Childhood & Early Life
She was born on May 1, 1944 in Mumbai, British India to Arvind Pakvasa and his wife, Poornima Pakvasa, a well-known social worker. She was the second of their three children.
Her grandfather, Mangal Das Pakvasa was a great freedom fighter who believed in equality of women. Along with her parents, he also boosted her artistic talent and encouraged her to pursue dancing from early on in life.
At the age of four, she started learning Manipuri dance from a teacher in Nagpur. Later, she started learning Bharatnatyam from various gurus belonging to the Pandanallur School.
She obtained her B.A. (Hons) degree in German Literature from Elphinstone College, Bombay. She also earned "Praveen" and "Kovid" degrees in Sanskrit from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
When she was 18, she traveled to Bangalore to learn Bharatnatyam from Prof. U. S. Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi. In 1965, her father-in-law, Dr. Mayadhar Mansingh, introduced her to Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and she began her training in Odissi dance.
Career
She started her dancing career in 1962, and over the years she has danced to several of her own choreographic works and has been responsible for a large number of group productions.
In the 1970s, she performed to the poems ‘Mary Magdalane’ and ‘Sanyasi- Upagupta’. She also did dance performances on ‘Meghdootam of Kalidasa’ and ‘Kumara-Sambhavam of Kalidasa’.
In 1977, she founded the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD) in New Delhi to train students in Indian classical dance. The organization continues to work to promote performing arts and nurturing the cultural legacy of India.
From 1977 to 1993, she performed many special items in Odissi and Bharatnatyam dance forms for her audience.
In 1993, she produced, directed and performed in dance-drama ‘Ashta-Nayika’, which depicted the emotional phases of eight women in love.
In 1994, she presented ‘Draupadi’, her interpretation of Draupadi’s plight when it is decided that she should be ‘shared’ among the five brothers, at the International Festival of Perth, Australia.
In 2001, following the terror attacks on World Trade Center, she toured U.S.A and performed in various states including North Carolina, South Carolina and Atlanta.
Major Works
Her renowned choreographic works include 'Indradhanush', Manavata', 'Sabras', 'Devi Durga Aatmayan', 'Mera Bharat', 'Draupadi’.
In 2000, her dance performances and lectures at various universities in North America were widely acclaimed in artistic as well as academic circles.
Awards & Achievement
In 1987 she received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
In 1991 she was honored with the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award.
In 1992 she became the youngest recipient to be awarded Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
In 1994 she was conferred the Indira Priyadarshini Award.
In 2003 she was honored with Padma Vibhusan, the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. She was the second Indian woman dancer to receive this honor.
In 2006 she became the recipient of Kalidas Samman of the Madhya Pradesh Government.
In 2007 she received an honorary doctorate of science degree from the G.B. Pant University, Uttarakhand.
Personal Life & Legacy
She met Lalit Mansingh, former Indian diplomat, at an art festival and soon they got married. Being a diplomat, he was posted in Geneva and she returned after two years to Delhi to pursue her love of dancing. Eventually the couple divorced.
After her first divorce, she got married to a German and moved to Canada. Unfortunately, this marriage also ended in a divorce and she came back to Delhi.
In 2002, Prakash Jha, noted Hindi film director, made a documentary film on her titled ‘Sonal’. The movie won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film for the year.
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Sonal Mansingh's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 0 | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987) | |
| 0 | Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (1991) | |
| 0 | Padma Bhushan (1992) | |
| 0 | Padma Vibhusan (2003) | |
Sonal Mansingh biography timelines
- // 1st May 1944She was born on May 1, 1944 in Mumbai, British India to Arvind Pakvasa and his wife, Poornima Pakvasa, a well-known social worker. She was the second of their three children.
- // 1962She started her dancing career in 1962, and over the years she has danced to several of her own choreographic works and has been responsible for a large number of group productions.
- // 1965When she was 18, she traveled to Bangalore to learn Bharatnatyam from Prof. U. S. Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi. In 1965, her father-in-law, Dr. Mayadhar Mansingh, introduced her to Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and she began her training in Odissi dance.
- // 1977In 1977, she founded the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD) in New Delhi to train students in Indian classical dance. The organization continues to work to promote performing arts and nurturing the cultural legacy of India.
- // 1977 To 1993From 1977 to 1993, she performed many special items in Odissi and Bharatnatyam dance forms for her audience.
- // 1987In 1987 she received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
- // 1991In 1991 she was honored with the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award.
- // 1992In 1992 she became the youngest recipient to be awarded Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
- // 1993In 1993, she produced, directed and performed in dance-drama ‘Ashta-Nayika’, which depicted the emotional phases of eight women in love.
- // 1994In 1994, she presented ‘Draupadi’, her interpretation of Draupadi’s plight when it is decided that she should be ‘shared’ among the five brothers, at the International Festival of Perth, Australia.
- // 1994In 1994 she was conferred the Indira Priyadarshini Award.
- // 2000In 2000, her dance performances and lectures at various universities in North America were widely acclaimed in artistic as well as academic circles.
- // 2001In 2001, following the terror attacks on World Trade Center, she toured U.S.A and performed in various states including North Carolina, South Carolina and Atlanta.
- // 2002In 2002, Prakash Jha, noted Hindi film director, made a documentary film on her titled ‘Sonal’. The movie won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film for the year.
- // 2003In 2003 she was honored with Padma Vibhusan, the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. She was the second Indian woman dancer to receive this honor.
- // 2006In 2006 she became the recipient of Kalidas Samman of the Madhya Pradesh Government.
- // 2007In 2007 she received an honorary doctorate of science degree from the G.B. Pant University, Uttarakhand.
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Sonal Mansingh's FAQ
What is Sonal Mansingh birthday?
Sonal Mansingh was born at 1944-04-30
Where is Sonal Mansingh's birth place?
Sonal Mansingh was born in Mumbai
What is Sonal Mansingh nationalities?
Sonal Mansingh's nationalities is Indian
Who is Sonal Mansingh spouses?
Sonal Mansingh's spouses is Lalit Mansingh (Divorced)
Who is Sonal Mansingh's father?
Sonal Mansingh's father is Arvind Pakvasa
Who is Sonal Mansingh's mother?
Sonal Mansingh's mother is Poornima Pakvasa
What is Sonal Mansingh's sun sign?
Sonal Mansingh is Taurus
How famous is Sonal Mansingh?
Sonal Mansingh is famouse as Odissi Dancer