Passion as profession

Shabiha Nur Khatoon

Her versatility in mastering different dance forms with relative ease and deep passion for the art form drove Subarna Mitra to conquer lofty peaks of success

Subarna Mitra’s journey as a dancer started when she was still a kindergarten student. Her mother was always passionate about music and dance and wanted her daughter to shine in the realm of the performing arts.

“My mother was so interested in dance and music that she consulted my school teachers about my prospects in the field. Seeing mother’s interest in the performing arts, my teachers agreed and included me in a Rabindra Sangeet performance in the school function. That’s how it all started,” says sultry Subarna.
“I would like to recount a memorable incident that happened when I was in Class IV. During our annual function we were dancing to the tunes of the Vengaboys, and the best part was that I was leading the team. That stage experience was awesome and subsequently I acquired huge popularity in school as a dancer. Although I didn’t take proper training in dance, soon I donned the choreographer’s hat at a cultural event in school,” adds Subarna.
Born and brought up in Talcher, Subarna moved to Bhubaneswar in 2009 to carve out a niche as a dancer. After she arrived in the state capital her elder sister helped her to take admission in Anu’s Dance Freak Academy. Subarna was interested in contemporary and salsa and the monthly fee was Rs 1,200.
Subarna has always had interesting moments in every phase of her journey and she loves to share the sweet memories with friends and acquaintances.
After three months of training, Anupam Nayak, the trainer, asked Subarna to learn new dance forms as he had noticed in his disciple the ability to grasp dance steps easily.
Subarna says: “Anupam sir asked me to enroll in different dance forms and assured me I wouldn’t have to pay the monthly tuition fee. Slowly I started assisting him and soon became a trainer from a student.”
After receiving training at the academy for three years, Subarna got associated with the United Dancing Twisterz crew where she benefitted from exposure to different dance forms.
Bollywood style was always the one she favoured as it comes to her naturally and it is the first style she picked up. She has subsequently taken up contemporary and salsa and has only recently started practising hip-hop.
The young dancer has conducted several workshops in different parts of the state and shone bright at the International Fest in NIT, Rourkela where her team bagged the second position. That apart, some students among the crew members showcased their magical steps in different reality shows.
Subarna gives all the credit to her family for whatever she has achieved and says she would not have been able to taste success without the support of her parents and elder sister.
Dwelling on her future plans, Subarna says: “I am planning to pursue my higher studies in Germany so that I can learn some international dance forms there.”
Subarna is a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan. She adores SRK’s personality and the way he romances women in his movies. The diehard fan loves to relish noodles and is extremely fond of spicy food.

ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS
• Winner of the School House Dance competition for three years in a row
• Participated and won numerous dance competitions
• Was the senior instructor for salsa, jazz, belly and Bollywood at Anu’s Dance Freak from 2010 to 2012
• Won the Award of the Best Instructor of 2012 from the Institute
• Active member of the Crew United Dancing Twisterz