Guru Smt. Mitra Purkayastha 

Hailing from a family of musicians and artists, Mitra has had the privilege of training with some of the most famous gurus of Kolkata. From an early age, she started learning classical vocal music under the guidance of her parents. Guru Debobrata Biswas and Smt. Maya Sen further trained her in Rabindra Sangeet.

Mitra's Odissi training began under Guru Padmasri Muralidhar Majhi. She has trained extensively with him for many years and continues to seek his guidance and blessings in all her endeavors. Besides Odissi, Mitra has learnt Manipuri under Guru Khelendra Mukherjee. In order, to get a complete vision of Indian dance styles, she has learnt other classical dances like Kathak and Bharatnatyam. In India, she has worked with the late Smt. Manjushri Chaki-Sirkar's dance troupe, specializing in creative contemporary choreography. She was one of the principal dancers of the troupe.

Mitra has several dance degrees including Sangeet Prabharak, Sangeet Visharad, and Sangeet Sudharak. Having performed for many years as a soloist, Mitra had the right training to venture into teaching. She conducted classes in Houston and Minnesota before relocating to New Jersey. Recently, she celebrated 20 years of her dance school, Rhythms of Dance and Music. On this occasion, she collaborated with Toronto based choreographer, Sukalyan Bhattacharya to put up a very successful show.

Mitra’s teaching model involves early beginning, parental participation and rote learning. Her firm belief that age is no barrier to learning dance has encouraged many mother-daughter duos to learn together. With tireless passion, Mitra has been training many a dancer in the tri-state area. Her varied dance background and amazing enthusiasm has helped shape the life of many young talents.

Mitra's encouragement and guidance has been a major turning point in Nilanjana's life. She continues to seek her Guru's grace and blessings.