Suwodi Dutta Bordoloi started learning Sattriya at a very young age from Shri Narayan Saikia, who hails from one of the prominent monasteries of Assam – the ‘Kamalabari Sattra’ in Majuli. She has
trained in this dance for over 20 years and was awarded the degree of ‘Upaadhi’ in the
year 2000. Currently a senior disciple of Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Academy awardee
Guru ‘Ghanakanta Bora Bayan-archarya’, she has been a prominent artiste at a national and
international level, performing at many prestigious venues. She is also an educator, providing workshops and lectures to children and students on the history, music, and art of Sattriya. Suwodi’s goal is simple and strong, stating “My goal is to spread awareness about this unique and rich classical art form that flourished and thrived in monasteries for centuries.”

How do Traditional Arts and Medicine combine?

“I believe traditional arts/dance and medicine have a close symbiotic relationship. Dancers,
like athletes, are prone to overuse injuries. Advances in medicine are helping both in
preventing injuries, and treating patients recover and get back to practicing their art. On
the other hand, any form of dancing including traditional, benefit the overall physical and
mental health of practitioners.” -Suwodi

Choreography Proposal

Suwodi has two choreographies she would like to create. The first is a traditional and classical piece based on Sattriya music that showcases the Sattriya dance style and art form. The second is a Sattriya style inspired choreography that portrays the story of a setback, ensuing struggle, and path to recovery.

During her fellowship, Suwodi performed beautiful pieces at the International Human Rights and Arts Festival and the ModArts Collective Thread Festival.