Italian Odissi-Chhau dancer teaching the dance forms in India since 1995

Impressed by Indian art and culture, Italian-born Odissi and Chhau dancer and instructor Ileana Citaristi, who came to Odisha in 1979, decided to make the state her home and has been imparting the knowledge of these dance forms since 1995.

Citaristi is the first classical dancer of foreign origin who was conferred the Padma Shri in 2006 for her contributions to Odissi. She was also awarded the 43rd National Film Awards for Best Choreography for Yugant in 1995.

In Bhubaneswar she is imparting training in Odissi and Chhau dances to local as well as visiting students in her own institution "Art vision", founded by her in the year 1995.

Through "Art Vision" Citaristi has orgsed several festivals unique in concept over the years. These include 'Festival of films on performing and visual arts' which has reached the 6th edition, the 'Kalinga Mahotsav', a Festival of Martial Dances held in front of the Dheuli stupa at Bhubaneswar annually since 2003 and Sangam Festival since the year 2005.

Through "Art Vision", she is regularly hosting performances of folk theatre in the mini auditorium situated in her school premises.

Italian by birth, Padmashree Ileana Citaristi holds a Doctorate in Philosophy with a thesis on 'Psychoanalysis and eastern mythology'. She has come to Indian dance after years of experience in the traditional as well as experimental theatre in Europe.

Citaristi has been living in Odisha, India, since the year 1979 in close contact with the people, their language and culture. Her mentor in the Odissi dance style is the renowned Guru, Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra.

She is equally at home with the different martial postures of the Chhau dance of Mayurbhanji which she has learnt under the guidance of Guru Shri Hari Nayak, obtaining the title of 'Acharya' from the Sangeet Mahavidyalya of Bhubaneswar in Orissa.

Her contributions, besides the many performances and lecture-demonstrations given in all the major centres in India, include articles on Oriya culture published in Indian and foreign magazines, research work for film-documentaries on Odissi and Chhau dances and practical dance workshops for dancers and theatre workers which she regularly conducts under invitation by different institutions in India and abroad. She has given performances in all the major dance festivals in India as well as in Italy, Argentina, Poland, France, Germany. Holland, Denmark, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Australia , Israel, Spain , Poland., South Korea, Canada, Peru and California.

Her innovative choreographies in Mayurbhanji Chhau include the Greek myth 'Echo and Narcissus', which was a revelation at the East-West Dance Encounter held in Bombay in April 1985, 'The Wreck' (December 1988), 'Icarus' (July 1991), 'Pancha bhuta' (January 1996), 'The journey' (September 1998), 'Images of change' (March 2000), 'Surya devata' (December 2001), 'Jarjara' (January 2003), 'Still I rise' (February 2005).

Those in Odissi style include the ballet 'Maya Darpan' premiered at Nehru Center in Bombay in April 1993, 'Dasa Mahavidya' (1999), 'Ganga Yamuna' (2005), 'Exploration' and 'Tantra' (2006) 'Saraha', 'Bolero' and 'Rhydhum' (2007), 'Mahanadi and the river flows' and 'Sparsha' (2008, 'Bhagavad Gita' and 'Belaboli pallavi' (2009), Karuna (2010), Maana Bhanjana (2011), Kaala-Timebound (2012), Gaia-Mother Earth (2013) and Siddhartha (2014).

She has been awarded the prestigious title 'Leonide Massine for the art of dance' in Italy in September 1992 and the 'Raseshwar' award by the Sur Singar Sansad, Bombay, in December 1994.

In May 1996 she won the 'National Award for best choreography' for her dance direction to the Bengali film 'Yugant' directed by Aparna Sen.

In 2009 she received the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity from President of Italy and in 2016 the NALCO Kharavela Award for her role as distinguished guru in Odissi dance.

She has conducted a research on the Martial Art of Orissa under the aegis of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts in 1991 and in 1996 she has been granted a senior Fellowship by the Depatment of Culture, Government of India, for writing a book on Kelucharan Mohapatra's life.

In January 2006 she was awarded the title of Padmashree from Government of India for her contribution to Odissi dance.

( With inputs from ANI )