Bimbavati Devi [Manipuri dancer]

Bimbavati Devi [Manipuri Exponent]

Bimbavati Devi, being the daughter of renowned classical Manipuri dancers, Guru Bipin Singh and Smt. Kalavati Devi, was initiated into the world of dance and music at a very tender age. Besides dancing, she has also undergone training in pung (Manipuri mridang) playing and Thang Ta (Manipuri martial art). As a solo artiste and as a performing artiste of Manipuri Nartanalaya, one of the pioneer institutions of Manipuri dance in the country founded by her parents and the well-known Jhaveri sisters, she has performed in various prestigious dance programmes and festivals of India and abroad. Besides being a classical dancer par excellence, Bimbavati is now engaged in contemporary choreographies based on Manipuri dance, even trying to experiment with new idioms and thus trying to expand the vocabulary of movements, following the path shown by her father.

Major performances in India and abroad:

Khajuraho Festival, Konarak Festival, Swami Haridas Sangeet Sammelan, Vrindavan Sharadotsav, Uday Shankar Festival, Nishagandhi Festival, Vishwa Banga Sammelan, Soorya Festival, Kal-Ke-Kalakar, Ghungroo Festival, Temple Festival, Dances of India Festival, programmes organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), India International Centre (IIC - New Delhi), India Habitat Centre (New Delhi), Asia Festival in Helsinki (Finland), Nehru Center in London (England), Banga Sammelan in Lowell, Festival of India organized by the Asian Dance and Music Program, University of Massachusetts, programme organized by the Musee Guimet (National Museum of Asian Arts), Paris, workshops and lecture demonstrations at North Dakota State University, University of Massachusetts, National University of Singapore, programmes and workshops organized by well known dance organizations of USA, UK, Canada, Singapore, and Australia.

Recognitions:

• A recipient of Senior National Scholarship in Manipuri Dance from the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.
• A recipient of Junior National Fellowship in Manipuri dance from the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.
• Title of Shringar Mani conferred by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai.
• Recipient of Nandita Kripalini Award from West Bengal State Academy of Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts, Govt. of West Bengal.
• Empanelled artiste of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (I.C.C.R), Govt. of India.
Sanskriti Award given by Smt. Sheila Dikshit, the Chief Minister of Delhi on behalf of the prestigious Sanskriti Foundation, New Delhi in 2004 for being one of the upcoming and promising dancers and choreographers.
• Aditya Birla Kala Kiran Puraskar 2007 conferred by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh on behalf Sangeet Kala Kendra, Mumbai.
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2008 from Sangeet Natak Akademi, Govt. of India.
• From 2008 to 2011 she is on a Cultural Deputation of the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh.

Appreciations:

1. Bimbavati was charming as she showed abhinaya to depict Lord Krishna pleading forgiveness from his beloved Radha-The Telegraph
2. The building up of rhythmic complexities was ably executed by Bimbavati-The Statesman
Bimbavati, the daughter of Guru Bipin Singh and Kalavati Devi, proved that she is indeed a chip off the old block. She is a dancer worth watching. The Statesman (Dr. Sunil Kothari, acclaimed dance critic and scholar)
3. Bimbavati is a true chip off the old block, dew fresh and effervescent with movements that spring from the core -The Hindustan Times (Shanta Serbjeet, acclaimed dance critic and scholar)
4. Guru Bipin Sigh’s daughter, Bimbavati danced with finesse highlighting the conceptual beauty of the choreography-The Asian Age
5. Bimbavati came up with a choreography that bears testimony to her creativity and repertoire. She is an accomplished dancer who has inculcated within her the finer points of Manipuri dance from her illustrious parents-Hindustan Times
6. Bimbavati danced like Trojan….her movements bore the evidence of one born to the dance family- The Hindu (Smt. Leela Venkatraman, acclaimed dance critic and scholar.