Sukanya Chand / X/ IndiainNewYork
Indian-American classical dancer Sukanya Chand has been presented with a certificate by Consul General Binaya Srikanta Pradhan after winning first prize in the Odissi dance category of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations’ (ICCR) Pratibha Sangam Competition 2024.
Congratulating Chand on the achievement, the Consul General commended her talent and dedication to Indian classical dance and recognized her efforts to promote India’s cultural traditions in the United States.
Chand is a practitioner and choreographer trained in Bharatanatyam and Odissi, with additional foundational training in Kathak. She began her dance training under Ananda Shankar Jayant in Hyderabad before becoming associated with the Temple of Fine Arts in Chennai.
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Following her move to the United States, she also received training in the basics of several Western dance forms, including ballet, jazz, tap, flamenco and theatre.
In 2009, Chand founded Natya Nirvana, a dance company and arts academy based primarily in Central Ohio. Through the institution, she showcases Indian classical dance productions and conducts master classes, workshops and cultural programmes.
Natya Nirvana focuses on both traditional and contemporary presentations of Bharatanatyam and Odissi, while also undertaking collaborative and cross-cultural performances. Its initiatives aim to increase awareness of South Asian performing arts and encourage wider engagement with Indian cultural traditions in the United States.
The recognition from the ICCR highlights Chand’s contribution to the preservation and promotion of Indian classical dance overseas. Pratibha Sangam is a global competition organized by the ICCR to celebrate the connection of foreign citizens with Indian culture and provide a platform for practitioners of Indian classical music and dance.
The competition is open to foreign nationals, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) between the ages of 18 and 50.
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