Swapnokalpa Dasgupta
Head Programming, Dance
Swapnokalpa Dasgupta is a highly dedicated Odissi dancer, teacher, arts manager and curator who has been the Head of Dance Programming at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA in Mumbai for the past 7 years along with actively pursuing Odissi dance.
She has completed a postgraduate level management degree course, M.A in Arts and Heritage Management from the London Metropolitan University, London, UK and has received the prestigious Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Prativa Samman, 2019 in Odissi dance and the prestigious Kanak Nartan Puraskar 2020 from Dr. Kanak Rele’s Nalanda Nrityakala Mahavidyalaya.
She has learnt Odissi under Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She started her journey in Odissi dance with the affectionate guidance of Guru Giridhari Nayak. She has also received rigorous training from Guru Poushali Mukherjee in Kolkata and Guru Sujata Mohapatra and Guru Ratikant Mohapatra in Orissa.
Swapnokalpa has her dance school SWAPNOKALPA in Mumbai and Kolkata.She is credited for being the first Odissi teacher of the prestigious The Bhavans, London who was able to set up an Odissi dance department at the centre. The department flourished in the heart of London. Swapnokalpa continues to impart training at the London centre as a visiting faculty and had conducted the first ever Summer school for Odissi dance at the Centre in 2019.
Swapnokalpa has received the prestigious Senior National Scholarship in Odissi dance and is a graded artiste of Doordarshan. As a young performer she has received the Pratibha Samman from EZCC (Govt of India) and has performed in many prestigious dance festivals in India and overseas like England, France and Ireland. Swapnokalpa is a noted Odissi performer and regularly performs in India and abroad. Awarded First Division with Distinction in practical in 1995, 1996 and 1998 for the Diploma course in Classical Odissi Dance (Sangeet Visharad) from Pracheen Kalakendra, Chandigarh.
Awarded the prestigious All India National Scholarship (Senior) for Odissi dance by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India in 2001 (received this at the age of 18; one of the youngest dancers in India to have received this award).
Currently in the panel of artists selected by the national television network of India, Doordarshan for dance and other cultural programs organized by the network.
Some notable performances as a professional artiste
- - NCPA Mudra dance festival 2019
- - NCPA Mumbai dance season Finale 2020
- - Kalaghoda arts festival – 2015,2017, 2018
- - Unbound Beats of India of Padmashree Ranjana Gauhar, 2017
- - Mahashivratri of Natyatarangini, 2019
- - Natyanjali at Chidamvaram Temple
- - Mamallapuram dance festival
- - Uday shankar dance festival
- - Kinkini dance festival of Dr Sandhya Purecha
- - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London – Production Behula
- - Indian Summer, British Museum, London
- - Solo night at the Nehru Centre, Indian High Commission, London
- - Utsavam, Horniman Museum, London
- - Indian classical dance performances, Harrow Arts Centre, London
