Ellora Patnaik

Ellora Patnaik (born September 5, 1968) is a Canadian-born film and theatre actress and Odissi dancer.

Biography

Early life

Ellora was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ellora is the first child of her parents (seven years older than her sibling Devraj Patnaik ), Promod and Chitralekha Patnaik, who were born in the state of Orissa, India, and emigrated to Canada in the 1960s. She made numerous trips to India with her faimly in her youth. Ellora's parents soon moved to Oakville and then to Burlington, Ontario, where Ellora attended M.M.Robinson High School. In 1986 she was selected for training by (late) Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra, and went to study at the Odissi Research Centre in Orissa, India.

Dance Training

Ellora's first and primary dance Guru was her mother Chitralekha Patnaik, who began training her as an Odissi dancer from a very young age. She has also received training from such notables as (late) Padmashri Pankaj Charan Das, (late) Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra, Sanjukta Panigrahi, and Guru Sri Gangadhar Pradhan

Acting

Ellora Patnaik attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1992 to 1994 and was a member of the Company in her third year. She has acted in film, television, and theatre works.

Career

Odissi Dance Teacher

Ellora has taught Odissi dance since the mid 1980s. In the early 1990s, she took over as Executive Director of the Chitralekha Dance Academy.

Theatre

*"Left" Bobby, Rasik Arts 2004
*"Umrao Jaan Ada" Umrao, Rasik Arts 2001
*"Naga Mandala" Rani, Tarragon Theatre 1997
*"Standing on My Knees" Catherine, New York Theatre 1995
*"Say Goodnight Gracie" Catherine, New York Theatre
*"The Heidi Chronicles" Becky/Betsy, New York Theatre
*"The Country Wife" Lucy, New York Theatre
*"The Seagull" Housemaid, New York Theatre
*"House of Blue Leaves" Little Nun, New York Theatre

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665679/ Internet Movie Database]
* [http://www.seeodissi.com Chitralekha Odissi Dance Creations website]
* [http://www.screenindia.com/feb27/films3.htm screenindia.com]
* [http://www.celebsrc.com/ViewCelebInfo_3995.html celebritysrc.com]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/imdb/actor/nm0665679 Amazon.com]
* [http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_07.31.97/theatre/onstage.php Eye Weekly]
* [http://www.weeklytimesofindia.com/events.asp Weekly Times of India]
* [http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2001-09-06/stage_theatrefeature.html NOW Magazine]
* [http://www.wendvd.com/dActor_VHS/Ellora%20Patnaik_1.html wendvd.com]
* [http://www.cscsarchive.org/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/02A30CA44104FAA165256940004C8A99?OpenDocument Review of My Own Country]
* [http://www.screenindia.com/feb20/news.htm screenindia.com]
* [http://www.mybindi.com/arts-entertainment/whatson/umrao.cfm mybindi.com]
* [http://www.southasianoutlook.com/sao_back_issues/September_2001/umrao.htm South Asian Outlook]
* [http://medium.sa.utoronto.ca/Archives/Nov5_01/arts_story_6.htm The Medium Online]
* [http://odissi.itgo.com/news/news3.html Odissi Kala Kendra]