Ranjabati Sircar
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Ranjabati Sircar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 March 1963 |
| Died | 23 October 1999 (aged 36) |
| Occupations | Dancer, choreographer |
| Known for | Nava Nritya (New Dance) |
| Mother | Manjusri Chaki-Sircar |
Ranjabati Sircar (29 March 1963 – 23 October 1999) was an Indian dancer and choreographer noted for her contributions to experimental and contemporary Indian dance forms.[1][2][3]
Sircar was born in Nsukka, Nigeria and spent much of her childhood in upstate New York.[1][3] She was the only child of dancer Manjusri Chaki-Sircar (1934–2000), a leading figure in Indian classical and experimental dance.[1][4] Sircar later studied at Jadavpur University in Calcutta, where she earned two degrees and received several academic honours.[1][2] Though she showed potential for an academic career, she chose to pursue dance, following her mother's experimental artistic direction.[1]
Career
Together with her mother, Sircar founded the Dancers’ Guild in Calcutta, an institution dedicated to Nava Nritya (also known as Navanritya), a contemporary Indian dance form blending classical and folk movements with modern influences.[1][2] Her work incorporated elements of yoga and martial arts and explored themes such as spirituality, environmentalism and female identity.[1]
Sircar travelled extensively and worked in international collaborations. In 1983, she studied in Great Britain on a British Council scholarship and later became the first artistic director of Yuva, the national South Asian youth dance company in Britain. Her choreography Thirsting Earth earned the Time Out/Dance Umbrella Award.[1]
