Jyotsna Shourie

Jyotsna Shourie is known nationally and internationally as a Bharatanatyam artist whose has remained committed to her art for over 5 decades. She has perfected dance from the Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharatanatya Kala Mandir, Mumbai and humbly acknowledges the huge debt she owes to her Guru Sri K. Kalyanasunderam.

At her Arangetram when she was just 10 years old, the Times of India prophesized that she would emerge as “a star as luminous as any in the firmament.”

Jyotsna emerges as an ambassador for the dance form and for India, she has also held performances in many parts of the world which have been sponsored by Indo Foreign Cultural Associations and by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

In 1990 she established her own dance company The Jyotsna Shourie DanceSociety in New Delhi as a learning center for students of all ages who have presumed their art further and enhanced their artistic skills. They have then pursued this art further, to perform and further their artistic skills. A very committed and talented group form the Jyotsna Shourie repertory whose performances are watched with eager anticipation.

To widen the scope and appeal of Bharatanatyam, Jyotsna has conceptualized and choreographed innovative dance dramas that bring about a relationship between tradition and modernity.

They include:

  • GITAGOVINDAM by Jayadeva (incorporating dance and multi-screen audio visuals )
  • THE KRISHNA CHALLISA ( juxtaposing bhajans, visuals and dance )
  • THE RADHA CHALLISA ( The life story of Radha )
  • VARANASI… A GATEWAY TO MOKSHA (incorporating film clips shot at Varanasi, to tell the story of this ancient holy city)
  • TRADITION AND INSPIRATION (a fusion of 2 styles of dance namely Kathak and Bharatanatyam)
  • COSMIC RHYTHMS ( the varying rhythmic beats that exist in the cosmos)
  • FACE TO FACE ( two powerful women Sita and Draupadi exchange intimacies in a theatrical dance production)
  • DEVADASI … THE ETERNAL DANCER (a historical perspective of the highs and lows of a Devadasi’s incredible life)
  • THE BIRTH OF JESUS (performed regularly and also in Rome and the Vatican City)
  • ALICE IN WONDERLAND (with specially composed lyrics in in Hindi)
  • THE SOUND OF MUSIC (an adaptation of the well- loved English film of yesteryear)

Recently in her role as impresario, she has invited artists like Ram Vaidyanathan, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Surupa Sen, Bijayani Sathpathy, Kaushiki Chakraborty, Vidha Lal to perform in the Capital, under the umbrella of the Divinity Series which is an ongoing cultural festival.

Another interesting innovation is the “Learning from The Masters” Series . Here senior and experienced dancers from different parts of India, are invited to Delhi to present workshops in an intimate atmosphere, to committed and serious dancers, so as to forge closer bonds and increase their knowledge.