The Founder
Sukanya Tagore Mukherji has a ′Master of Dance′ degree from Rabindra Bharati
University, Calcutta, India, and is the recipient of the gold medal. She is the founder
and the Artistic Director of Mayur Dance Academy - Maryland, USA, an organization
dedicated to promoting Indian Performing Arts, namely the classical dance form –
Odissi, and has staged many highly acclaimed shows, since 1993.
Sukanya started her dance training when she was three, at the Children′s Little Theatre (CLT), India, a leading cultural institute for children since 1952. Her grandfather, Sri Samar Chatterjee, was her mentor. One of her first teachers was Sri Balakrishna Menon, a Kathakali guru who worked with Tagore directly. Later she trained with the late Padmabibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra in the Odissi style.
Sukanya believes that while maintaining the core concepts of traditional methodologies, for any dancer to be versatile, an additional milieu of creative dance should be included. She also believes that for children, dance should start as fun and enjoyment, and through it, should be mastered the rudiments of music, rhythm, and the art of performing.
Sukanya worked closely with the organizers of the Folklife Festival, held by the Smithsonian every year. The 1985 India festival was her first, and she has since worked and performed for the Smithsonian many times. In 1995, she performed at the Kennedy Center, at a special performance presented by the Ambassador of India, for the President of the United States and the First Lady, Mrs. Hillary Clinton.
Sukanya is an active member of the Indian Dance Educators′ Association (IDEA) in the Washington area. She has performed widely in India and the United states. December 2006 she traveled with Mayur Dance Company, an offshoot of the academy, to perform at the International Odissi Festival in Bhuvaneshwar, and was featured in Times of India for a performance to remember. She has spoken as a panelist at Prestigious Dance Festivals. Her last program at the Smithsonian on May 28th and 29th, 2011 was very well received.
Now, she is dedicated to her students and is constantly working on new ideas and creating new productions.