Sambalpuri folk dancer, Supritee Mishra, is a star in her own right. She has been performing for 18 years and has more than a 100 shows to her credit. Supritee has also won several awards and commands a huge fan following.
Born to Meera and Madhusudan Mishra at Nandapada in Sambalpur, Supritee was good at both academics and extracurricular activities since childhood. “I used to participate in debates and quiz and essay-writing competitions in my school. However, to win the all-rounder trophy, I had to learn some art form also. My aunt suggested that I learn Sambalpuri folk dance and I started taking training from Guru Shasanka Sekhar Dubey,” says Supritee, who is a teacher by profession.
Although she took up dancing only to win the all-rounder trophy, Supritee soon fell in love with the dance form. Gradually, she started participating in dancing competitions.
“My training continued till Class X but after that dancing took a backseat, as I had to prepare for my engineering entrance exams. I secured a good rank in my entrance exam but I was in no mood to quit dancing. So, I resumed my training, this time under the guidance of Guru Ranjan Kumar Sahoo,” she says.
Now a more refined dancer, Supritee once again started performing across the state. “I would frequently perform with UKIA, Sambalpur and was happy with the way my career was shaping up. However, after some time my parents fixed my marriage. I felt marriage would end my career but I was wrong. My mother-in-law was extremely supportive and encouraged me to continue my training,” says the choreographer-dancer.
Supritee has fond memories of her first performance in Bhubaneswar. “I performed at Rabindra Mandap on Utkal Diwas. It was full house and I performed to the popular Sambalpuri folk song, Dalkhai. The audience appreciated my performance, which gave my confidence a boost,” she says.
Since then there has been no looking back for her. She has performed at prestigious venues in cities like New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Surpritee, who is a lecturer at the School of Performing Art under Sambalpur University, has been working sincerely towards popularising the dance form across the country. And her efforts haven’t gone unrecognised. She was awarded the Gurubari Mirdha Shrestha Nrutyngana Samman in 2017 for her contribution to Sambalpuri folk dance.
Besides, she is also a news reader and translator at Regional News Unit, All India Radio, Sambalpur. Supritee, who has a book, Dalkhai — A Voyage of Dance, to her credit says, “I plan to open an academy where students will be taught about the dying culture of Sambalpur. I want to revive Sambalpuri folk music and instruments which were once so popular in the state.”
SOYONG, OP
