Saswat Joshi is a famous Odissi Dancer and choreographer who was born in Titlagarh of Bolangir district, Odisha on 12th July 1984. Saswat started his journey as a dancer when he was five years old under the able guidance of Guru PrasantaPatnaik and Guru ShantanuBehera at his native village Titlagarh, Bolangir. Saswat started his professional Odissi training under Guru Padma ShriKumkumMohanty in 2000. Later his Dancing flourished into perfection when he was trained under Guru Padma Shri Ileana Citaristi.
He is the recipient of the National Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India. He is a graduate of Sambalpur University in dance. Saswat Joshi is a Gold medallist in VISHARAD, a Graduate degree from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh University. He did his Masters’s Degree from Rabindra Bharati University and was awarded SangeetRatna. He has received Gold Medal in both his Degree and Master’s degree.
He has performed in the world’s biggest museum of Asian painting Musee Guimet in Paris, France in 2012. He has given many lecture demonstrations of Odissi in various universities worldwide. He is the only male dancer who performed in front of the world wonders Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, and The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. He has also performed in many iconic towers of the world such as Petronas Towers, Malaysia, Merlion Park, Singapore, Kuwait towers, Burj Khalifa, Dubai, Colosseum in Italy, Red square in Russia, and many more. His performance in front of the famous Eiffel tower had gone viral with over millions of viewers on YouTube.
To popularise Odissi as Indian classical dance, he has traveled and performed Odissi in many European and Asian countries such as Italy, France, Hungary, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, etc.
He is the only Odissi dancer who promotes Sambalpuri Ikkat worldwide. He wears sambalpuri kurta with ethnic designs for many prestigious platforms and award ceremonies.
Saswat has modeled for many leading brands like Manyavar dresses, Boyanika as well as for many national and international brands. He is now the brand promoter of Odisha Tourism, and the face of Soulful Odisha, Manyavar, Boyanika, and Utkalika.
Saswat has founded the Lasyakala Institute of Performing Arts, where many new Odissi practitioners and talents are trained and being shaped into their performing excellence. The institute has many branches in different districts of Odisha and across India. Through this institute, he aims to empower underprivileged and orphan children. The challenged Children also trained under the institution and prepared in a way to perform with the normal children. He runs his Institution with the prime motto to Say Yes to all.
Under this banner, Aekalavya Dance Festival is being organized every year to felicitate practitioners, experts, and critics of Odissi. It is a tribute to guru shishya param para created a lot of awareness in classical dance and created a wonderful platform for youth. It provides an international platform for aspiring dancers and dancers of 4 different generations to get the opportunity to perform on a single stage. He has already organized the Aekalavya dance festival in Malaysia, U.A.E, Dubai, and Singapore.
In association with the Swabhiman organization, a National Camp Anjali is being organized every year where Specially Challenged children are trained and get a platform to showcase their talent. The special children are taught different energetic and rhythmic dance forms using Russian Biomechanical techniques; it works as a therapy to reduce their stress and anxiety level.
Every Year during summer vacation he organizes a workshop called Kallol-The sound of excitement, where the students across India who have chosen dance as a career participate in it. They are taught about personality management, money management, communication skill, literature, behavioral management, and the importance of dance in the education system. Now the passed out students from this workshop have been working in various leading industries.
During Covid19 Lockdown Saswat Joshi through his, Lasyakala had come up with a solution to retrieve the dying Folk Dances of Odisha like Ranapa of Ganjam District, Chau of Mayurbhanj, Dhemsa of Koraput, etc. Through various sessions over video conferencing, Saswat Joshi encouraged and aware of the platforms to revamp their dance forms. He supported them financially and provided stage near their doorsteps to practice the dying folk dances of Odisha.
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Achievements
Saswat Joshi is a Famous Dancer and Celebrity for his contribution in Odissi Dance. He is judging many reality shows in Odia Industry and also has choreographed in Bollywood Movies.
His performance in the film Koun Kitney Pani Mein on Rangabati song had got acclamation all over the world and was a blockbuster hit. And he became the Rangabati king of Bollywood.
He is the choreographer of many Bollywood films and trained many actors from the industry like Radhika Apte, Kunal Kapoor, etc.
He was seen in the film the journey by Hollywood director Sandrine da Costa in the year 2012.
His performance in the ballet Nirvana as Gautam Buddha on the birth anniversary and 2600 year celebration of Gautama Buddha got wide acclaimed in all Asian countries.
He has already performed in 32 countries and whole over India. He has performed with his team at the 49th OSA convention, Michigan.
He is the only male dancer who performed in front of the world wonders Eiffel Tower, Paris, France with the French girls trained classical Odissi the Indian dance. The performance had attracted more than millions of viewers on Youtube.
My Guru
At the child age, Saswat learned his first dance steps from Guru Shantanu Behera. He learned the basics of dance and postures of Odissi dance with great interest and dedication. As a child artist, he excelled in SAMBALPURI NURTYA (folk art form of western Odisha )under Guru Shantanu Behera. The intrinsic talents of Saswat flourished under the great mastereo Padmashree Kumkum Mohanty & then he was closely associated with guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra’s Odissi style known as Kelu Charan GHARANA in the period of 2000-2004. He has received training from many senior disciples of Guruji like Mukti lata Pal, Leena Nanda, Kasturi Pattaink, Minati Pradhan, Shilalipi Parida, Sagarika Mohapatra, Nivedita Jena & Nihar Nalini Das.
In 2005 he got an invitation to join “ART VISION” founded by Padmashree Dr.Ileana Citaristi. From that point he has realized that failure needs not to be a weakness; to fail to try is weakness. Despite your all-out effort in anything you fail to succeed, no harm; carry on; Don’t stop! That unblemished effort must carry you toward the goal. He became a disciple of Dr. Ileana also performs with her as a dance partner. With lots of devotion & sincerity, he became one of the most talented exponents of Odissi dance of the present generation. He has the future prospect having determination & devotion to carrying forward Odissi dance in its classical feature & traditional style. He is the senior member cum dancer in ART VISION, also working as a faculty & choreographer. He has worked in many productions of Dr.Ileana & with the ART VISION team like Tantra (Duet) Ganga Yamuna (Duet), Dasha Mohavidya (Duet), Chita Ngada (Duet), Partha Sarathi (Duet), Mahanadi (Group), Karpasa (Group), Saraha (Group), Karna(Solo), Manga(Solo)And many more.
He is the director of the blue light dance studio in Bhubaneswar also founded three branches of Odissi school abroad such as Cardiff, United kingdom, Montpellier France, Budapest Hungary.
Award Recognition
State
He has got Sangeet Ratna with a gold medal in Odissi Dance from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.
Mu Hero Samman by Government of Odisha
Odisha youth award 2019 by Odia media private limited
Shree award for the field of art and culture
Jaya Mallanrutya Shree Samman 2019, Jaya mallasa mazik and Sanskrit organization
Odisha youth award 2016 by Evergreen forum
Chalachitra Jagat 44 Annual Event and Talent Award 2019
Juhar Gourav Nuakhai Bhet ghat 2018
Felicitated at Papanga Pahad Mahotsav 2017
Nalco Kharvela Award 2016
Mathakhai Mohotsav 2011
He had received The Sunday Indian Yuva Utkarsh Samman 2010 by Ruchi
National
Felicitated by Oriya Cultural Association, Faridabad
Recognition by Odisha Cultural Association, Bengaluru
Felicitated in Shishirachhanda 2017 by AdyashaFoudation, Bangalore
Felicitation at NuakhaiParav, 2017 by JuharParivar, Delhi at Ras Rang Dance Festival-2017
Felicitated at 38th National Baisakhi Festival 2017 with Chinta o Chetana Baisakhi Samman
Appreciated for performing at Indian Dance Festival 2015 at Tamilnadu by Incredible India
International
He awarded as Youth Icon by the Odia Society of United Kingdom and The Artist by Musee Guimet, France
Felicitated by Odisha society of America OSA, on their 49th and 50th Golden jubilee convention, New Jersey the USA
He has announced as the brand ambassador of OSUAE, Odisha SAMAJ UAE in the year 2019, in the presence of the High Commission of India, at Dubai
Felicitation from Abdul Aziz, Naseer theatre, and Indian Embassy Doha, Qatar 2019
Honored by Consulate General of India, Dubai, UAE, for his outstanding contribution in the art field in the year 2018
Satsang Golf, Dubai felicitated him in the year 2018
Felicitated by Hindustani Samaj, Russia in 2018 at Moscow
Awarded by Temple of fine arts and Indian High Commission of Malaysia in 2017
Felicitated by Kuwait Odisha Association for his relentless dedication to promoting Odissi Dance as well as Odia Culture and Attire
Singapore Bengali and Odia association felicitated him in the year 2016
Odia Society of UK OSUK awarded him as a youth icon in the year 2013, at London
The artist award by Museeguimet, Paris France, 2012
Felicitations by center Mandapa, Milena selvini, Paris, France in the year 2011
Felicitations from foundation Chini, Italy, 2009
Felicitations by Akemi Sakurai in the Japan Tour in the year 2008
Felicitation by Seoul institute of the arts, in the year 2007 at South Korea
Felicitations by Indian High commission Budapest, Hungary
Cultural ambassador award from University of Udine, Venice, Italy
Saswat Joshi is not only a self-made dancer, he also promotes the Odissi dance across the world through his performances. He is not only a king but also a kingmaker. He has empowered many students and has explored the dancer in them.
Saswat Joshi has founded Lasyakala Institution to provide quality training to dance enthusiastic children thereby enhancing their talent. He has founded Lasyakala with a vision to develop a classical dance of Indians in the rural and tribal districts of Odisha. So many young and promising students could able to take classical dance as a career and valued their talent through the awareness of Lasyakala.
Lasyakala had opened its branches in the major cities of Odisha and India. Now it has gone abroad and it has opened its own branches in Budapest, Montpellier, and New Port London. The trained dancers of Lasyakala have found their own identity and performing in each corner of the world.
Lasyakala’s annual workshop Kallol, the sound of excitement gives chance to the underprivileged and below poverty line children to grow in their life. The students are trained in personality management, money management, communication skill, literature, behavioral management, and the importance of dance in the education system. The passed out students from this workshop have been working in various leading industries.
Every year Saswat Joshi organizes camps in different universities like Central University, Rajasthan, and Central University, Hyderabad to encourage the students to have ambition and aspiration to become a dancer and tries to reduce their stress through dance.
Saswat Joshi has dedicated his life to Odissi Dance. He believes a person can develop along with the development of his surroundings. So he always tries to strengthen the backward people of the society. Through his Dance training, he has given means of living and earning too many students.
He encourages the underprivileged children, provides a platform to showcase their talent, and thereby trains them to find their goals in life. He also trains the Challenged children to reduce the stress in them through dance and to make them believe in their capabilities.
Saswat Joshi is always seen wearing Sambalpuri Handwoven clothes. He promotes the traditional handloom clothes through his shows, performances and by modeling for it. Such promotion helps to increase the demand for the handloom products thereby benefiting the local weavers.
With the efforts and direction of Saswat Joshi, his team organizes Odisha week, in countries like France, Italy, Europe, and America every year. Through this program, foreign people get to know about the culture, tradition, folk dances, and cuisines of Odisha and India. Because of this initiative, many foreigners have learned the classical dance form of Odisha and the dance has been performed at various iconic towers thereby promoting the traditional dance of Odisha across the world.