Ileana Citaristi is an Italian-born Odissi and Chhau dancer, based in Bhubaneshwar, India.

She was awarded the 43rd National Film Awards for Best Choreography for ''Yugant'' in 1995 and conferred with the Padma Shri in 2006 for her contributions to Odissi.

Early life [link]

Citaristi is from Bergamo in Italy. She spent five years as an actress in traditional and experimental theatre in Italy before deciding to learn Kathakali. She went to Kerala, where she spent three rigorous months studying Kathakali before she went to Orissa on the advice of her Kathakali guru, Krishnan Namboodari. Since 1979, she has been living in Orissa. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy with a thesis on 'Psychoanalysis and Eastern Mythology'.

Dancing career [link]

Citaristi studied Odissi under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and started her own school of dance in 1994. Citaristi is also an exponent of the Mayurbhanj Chhau, which she learnt under the tutelage of Guru Hari Nayak and holds the title of an acharya of Chhau from the Sangeet Mahavidyalya of Bhubaneswar. She founded the Art Vision Academi in 1996, which acts as a platform for sharing ideas between various artistic forms such as theatre, music, dance and painting. The Academi also conducts classes in Odissi and Chhau.

Major Productions [link]

Ileana Citaristi is noted for her innovative choreographic productions in Odissi and Chhau that bring together themes and styles from both the West and the East. In Chhau, some of her notable productions include ‘Echo and Narcissus' based on the Greek myth in Ovid's Metamorphoses, ‘The Journey' that draws on Japanese haikus, ‘Images of Change' based on the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang and ‘Still I Rise' based on Maya Angelou's eponymous poem. In Odissi, 'Maya Darpan', 'Mahanadi: and the river flows', about the history and cultural geography of Orissa, 'Karuna', based on the life of Mother Teresa and Sharanam, a piece on women from three faiths who attain salvation despite their dubious pasts, are some of her notable compositions.

Books and Films [link]

Besides Yugantar, a Bengali film directed by Aparna Sen for which she won a National Film Award in 1996, Citaristi has also choreographed for M.F. Hussain's ''Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities'' (2004) and Goutam Ghose's ''Abar Aranye'' (2003). Citaristi is also the author of two books. In 2001, she published ''The Making of a Guru: Kelucharan Mohapatra, his Life and Times'' and in 2012 the ''Traditional Martial Practices in Orissa''.

Awards and Honours [link]

Citaristi is an ´A´ grade artist of Doordarshan. She was conferred the title of ´Leonide Massine for the art of dance' in 1992. In 1996, she won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for her work in Aparna Sen's Bengali film ''Yugant'' (1995).

She is also a recipient of the ´Raseshwar Award' given by the Sur Singar Sansad, Mumbai. For her contributions to Odissi, she was conferred the Padma Shri by Government of India in 2006. The Italian government made her a member of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity in 2008.

Works[link]

''The Making of a Guru: Kelucharan Mohapatra, His Life and Times'', Published by Manohar Pub., 2001. ISBN 81-7304-369-8.

''Traditional Martial Practices in Orissa'', 2012

References [link]

External links[link]

Ileana Citaristi's Website

Category:Odissi dancers Category:Living people Category:People from Bergamo Category:Dance instructors Category:Italian emigrants to India Category:Indian classical dancers Category:Indian classical choreographers Category:Indian film choreographers Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:People from Bhubaneswar Category:People with acquired Indian citizenship Category:National Film Award winners