Niharika's vast knowledge of both the theoretical and practical aspects of Odissi dance, stemming from her training under the Late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, enables me and her other students to learn with a depth that students are rarely offered outside India. In addition, her training, combined with her understanding of the trials and tribulations of life in the U.S., has enabled her to develop a teaching style which allows students in the U.S. to further their training in a manner conducive to their individual lifestyles. By examining each individual student's strengths and weaknesses, Niharika is able to tailor her teaching to maximize the impact on each individual student in a limited amount of time. Since most of us do not have the freedom or flexibility to travel to India to further our dance training, learning from Niharika is most certainly the closest thing to becoming immersed in a dance school in Orissa.
Esha Bandyopadhyay, Senior Disciple

Niharika is a devoted exponent and student of the teachings and dance style of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Her uniqueness lies in her dedication to Guruji's style, and in her ability to see and to work with the individual potential of each of her students. She is a knowledgeable and caring teacher.
Jane Simmons, Senior Disciple

Niharika's knowledge coupled with her discipline and caring personality make her an excellent teacher. Our daughter, Sarita, still remembers how interactive Niharika was during practice and at the same time maintaining a very high level of sophistication. We feel very honoured to have a person of Niharika's calibre to play an important role in the Divine development of our daughter. Without doubt, Niharika will continue to positively develop the minds of many youngsters for a long time to come."
Dr. Mahendra Deonarain, Award Winning Mathematics Educator

It was a real pleasure to take part in Niharika Mohanty's Odissi workshop two years ago. Her teaching was a very intensive experience that taught me the fundamentals of Odissi, giving me a strong foundation for the dance form. Niharika really pushed me to become a better dancer than I thought I could be. Her immense dedication to teaching Odissi motivated me to continue dancing. All in all, my experience with her was one that I really grew from.
Sunita Mohanty

My interactions with Niharika were mostly during the workshops in the Chicago area. I have always found her gentle, patient yet striving for perfection in her students. For her there are no short cuts to perfection. I have been singularly lucky in knowing her as a teacher and a friend. I found her going out of her way in making sure I was getting the most out of the workshop. Her devotion to Odissi dance is contagious. Her contribution to Odissi dance in North America is not just immense but extremely valuable. She has voluntarily taken up the charter of making Odissi dance popular in the US by organizing various workshops, events and seminars.
Hema Pillalamarri

Learning Odissi from Niharika has been an elevating experience; her passion for Odissi dance is portrayed in her teaching style; she has developed a very systematic method of teaching the dance form -- something you do not find often with other Indian dance teachers. I find this an important aspect of her teaching. Niharika is very aware that it is hard to retain purity of a style especially when you are so far from India but her need to retain the dance style in its purest form is evident in her teachings as she will not move on to the next step or dance movement till her student does it well. Watching her do the movements as she teaches is also very inspiring as she herself is so well practised, and her movements are so "clear cut". I have heard people say that I am so lucky, since I have had the opportunity to learn from Niharika, and I really think I am, since she brought me back to Odissi which I had stopped learning for a few years.
Bindu Shah

Niharika Mohanty, student of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, teaches Odissi Dance with her heart and soul. Learning Odissi dance from her is a unique experience. She is very strict with her students and expect perfection from them. She just doesn't demand 100% from her students without giving in 100%. I believe her motto is to teach her students the perfect way and to believe in themselves and focus on "I can do it". Kids only move up and learn more when they have mastered what they have learnt and there is no rush. I have seen my two daughters come a long way with her. Her smile and compassion encourages my kids to learn more everyday. In my kids exact words "We learn Odissi dance from Rini Apa (Niharika) or not at all". We are very proud and lucky to have found Niharika Mohanty. Thank you, Niharika, for all your effort and we do appreciate all the time you put in for teaching Odissi dance.
Soma Mohanty, mother of students Sonali and Somia Mohanty

Niharika Mohanty's teaching career in Odissi began in Nrtyakala, an institution for Indian dance in Toronto, directed by Niharika's former teacher, Dr. Menaka Thakkar. She taught in the institution for four years learning from her teacher how to effectively teach Indian dance in North America. Afterwards, she has continued to teach her own classes. Now, in the Bay Area, Niharika offers classes in three locations: Cupertino, Union City and San Francisco. Niharika also conducts intensive workshops in Odissi. Please contact Niharika for more information on classes and workshops.

Niharika has imbibed her Guru's strong commitment to quality. While Guru Mohapatra was alive, she constantly updated herself in her Guru's repertoire, curriculum, and ways of teaching during her training from him. Niharika herself focused on learning about all the facets of Odissi from her Guru, and she also aims on teaching with that completeness. With the blessings, guidance, and inspiration of Late Guru Mohapatra, she and Sujata Mohapatra, will be inaugurating a distinctive institution in the Bay Area this year which will be dedicated to Guru Mohapatra, his vision, style, and technique aiming to cater to potential students throughout North America. Sujata, his daughter-in-law, is one of the leading Odissi dancers and has been groomed by Guruji to perfection (or as close to) in his style and technique. Under his guidance, she also has become an excellent dance teacher and one of the best teachers in teaching the finer nuances of technique in Guruji’s dance style. Guruji spent more time teaching her, perfecting her dance and technique than any other disciple. Guruji had given his blessings for this institution as his own and for Sujata to come yearly to teach as senior teacher of our institution. Students will be fortunate to have her teach yearly, giving her guidance and being a perfect model to emulate. Sujata will also give guidance as the artistic director.

Niharika's Teaching Style:

With Guruji as her source of inspiration in teaching Odissi, Niharika's teaching style lays emphasis on:
- Conveying the beauty of Odissi
- Discussing to make sure students understand what they are doing
- Focusing on details and repetition until polished and perfection
- Teaching with completeness with the knowledge she possesses, touching on related aspects
- Teaching the art of performance
- Recognizing individuality - the individual’s strengths and weaknesses
- Developing a closeness between herself and students and amongst students to create a comfortable atmosphere and a fruitful experience
- Trying to inspire the students in different levels as Guruji had inspired her

Niharika's teaching brochure is available to view or print as a pdf file. Please note that it is a double sided, double folded brochure:
Brochure Front
Brochure Back

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