NRI, Sharon Lowen
artist from the U.S.A
Sharon Lowen has dedicated her life to presenting
and promoting excellence in Indian performing arts.
Sharon is hailed today as one of the leading international
performing artists of three forms of Indian dance:
Odissi, Chhau and Manipuri.
This is a remarkable achievement for an artist from
the U.S.A. who first arrived in India in 1973 after
acquiring her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Humanities,
Fine Arts, Asian Studies and Dance from the University
of Michigan as a Fulbright Scholar to continue her
studies of Manipuri and learn Odissi and Chhau. Sharon
has made her home in India to dedicate herself to
her work as an artist and to promote education in
the arts.
A scholar, teacher and performing artist, Sharon
has been trained since 1975 in Odissi by the doyen
of the art, Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra; in
Manipuri by Minati Roy from 1969 through 1971 and
from 1973 by Guru Singhajit Singh in Delhi and Ranjani
Maibi and Thangjam Chaoba Singh in Manipur; in Mayurbhanj
Chhau by Late Guru Krishna Chandra Naik and in Seraikella
Chhau by Guru Kedarnath Sahoo.
She is the first woman soloist of a previously all-male
form, responsible for introducing Mayurbhanj Chhau
to the United States at the 1978 Asian Dance Festival
in Hawaii and later at the Olympic Arts Festival of
Masks in Los Angeles and is singularly responsible
for getting Chhau presented on Doordarshan' s National
Broadcasts.
She has also choreographed and performed Odissi dance
in Telegu, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi as well
as Sanskrit and Oriya for performances and festivals
around India, Doordarshan National Indian Television,
and internationally .
