Sharmila Biswas
About Me
Coming from a conventional Bengali family, where enthusiasm in any subject other than academics is frowned upon, I wonder how I ended up becoming a dancer. Probably childhood associations that left strong and lasting impressions which no amount of persuasion could dislodge.
My Dance
Children's Little Theater, where I started my dance training at the age of eight, taught us the fundamentals of performing arts. The bumpy road life, highly exciting green rooms, facing the audience, making costumes and sets, moving in groups and finally the influence of our teachers unconsciously prepared many of us for the careers in performing life.
I have had the opportunity to learn dance from many unusual people. Kalavati Devi & Guru Bipin Singh taught me early in my life that dance is a serious business. My Guruji, Sri Kelucharan Mahapatra has not only stamped on me his strong technique on which I can stand confidently, but also the philosophy of dance. Sm. Kalanidhi Narayan opened up the connectors between body & mind and helped me to communicate better with the audience. My experience in the American dance festival, USA, swept away many cobwebs of preconceived notion I had formed about dance and about myself as a dancer.
My Goal
I like to work with the traditional artists of Orissa, of many fields. My dance vibrates with their dreams, their moods, their creativities.
I like to explore the areas where dance and other art forms overlap, and try to bring different dimensions.
I do not believe in presenting my work as an intellectual excercise on stage. I try to make my dances good dances, which will be understood by all, enjoyed by all; and when the curtain falls the artists and the audience will feel a sense of completeness and a sense of elevation.
I feel that our classical dance forms hold a vast heritage of knowledge, yet it need not be mummified pieces of movements and expressions. They should have a pulsating humane perspective and reflect the contemporary society.
My Family
My husband, Dr. Swapan Kumar Biswas brought stability and happiness in my life, which are so very important for my creativity to flower..Before I met him, I was a struggling student, he made a dancer out of myself.
I live in Calcutta with my mother-in-law, Uma Biswas, our seven year old son, Shoumik ( Mik ), our two cocker spaniels Milly and Jimmy, and my beloved husband, Swapan.To all of them, and to many others, I can only offer my humble gratitude.