Artistic Background

Ballerina at Russian Ballet, Mohiniyattam dancer, Chhau dancer at Indian Classical Dance and Dancer at Centre for Mohiniyattam

About Alexandra

Alexandra Vodopyanova (Mohana) is a performer and teacher of Indian classical dance in the styles of Mohiniyattam and Chhau.

She received a classical choreographic education, with a special interest in folk/character dance. She graduated from the school-studio of the Igor Moiseyev Academic Ensemble. Among the first Russian enthusiasts, she went to Dublin, Ireland to study Irish dance. In 2005 she became the winner of the World Open Championship in Irish dance, after which she joined the troupe of Michael Flatley’s famous show Lord of the Dance.

After a serious injury she became interested in yoga and Indian classical dance. Her first experience and instruction in Mohiniyattam came from Angelina Heik at the Cultural Centre of the Embassy of India in Moscow (from 2008).

Alongside Mohiniyattam, Alexandra studied Odissi with Irina Komissarova. In 2009, 2010, and 2011 she took part in training workshops with Sujata Mohapatra during her visits to Moscow. Other workshops include: Bharatanatyam and Indian folk dances (Pangay Thodi Narendran, 2011), Kathak (Raghav Raj Bhatt, 2012), the history and theory of Indian theatre according to the Natyashastra (Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao, St. Petersburg, 2013), and Mohiniyattam (Shyamala Surendran, St. Petersburg, 2011 and 2014).

Since 2012 Alexandra has trained regularly with legendary Mohiniyattam dancers Guru Bharati Shivaji and her daughter Vijayalakshmi in Delhi, India. In 2014 she gave her first full solo performance in India at the festival “Mohiniyattam Collective: A Global Festival of Mohiniyattam” at the India International Centre, Delhi. In 2016 she received a grant from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) for advanced study of Mohiniyattam. In 2019 she completed the CFM (Center for Mohiniyattam) course, an institute organized by Guruji Bharati Shivaji and Vijayalakshmi. She participated in all of Guruji’s productions over these years and at major festivals in India (such as the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai, Indradhanush in Delhi, Pragjyoti Dance Festival in Guwahati, IIDF — India International Dance Festival in Delhi, Soorya Mohiniyattam Festival in Thiruvananthapuram, Chaitra Parva in Baripada, etc.) and in Russia (festivals and performances organized by the Nritya Sabha Foundation and the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre).

In 2013 she founded the Mohiniyattam school “Lasya” at the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre at the Embassy of India in Moscow. Since 2016 she has been teaching at the School of Russian Classical Ballet in Delhi.

In addition, Alexandra studies Chhau (Mayurbhanj style with Gurus Janme Joy Sai Babu and Trilochan Mohanta, and Seraikella style with Gurus Shashidhar and Sapan Acharya). In 2018–2019 she undertook several field trips to the Baripada, Rairangpur, and Balasore regions (Odisha) to familiarize herself with local Chhau schools and collect traditional musical material. In 2019 she received a certificate of completion of a diploma course under Gurus Shashidhar and Sapan Acharya at Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi.

🎤 About Alexandra Vodopyanova

Performance History

Notable Performances

Teaching Experience

No teaching experience added yet.

Awards

No awards listed yet.