Urmimala Sarkar

Executive Member

Urmimala Sarkar Munsi is an associate Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. She is a Social Anthropologist, specialised in dance Studies. Beside her principle area of work on body, dance and Society, her research interest is in gender and performance, documentation of living traditions, and performance as politics. She is a choreographer and dancer trained at the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre. Her recent choreography "Mohakabber Owpekkhay" (Waiting for the Epic Poem) was commissioned by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in collaboration with Shadhona, Dhaka, and performed by dancers from Bangladesh at the Shilpakala Academy on the Independence Day of Bangladesh.

Her publications include ‘Engendering Performance: Indian Women Performers Searching for Identity’, co-authored with B. Dutt (Sage publishers, 2010), ‘Traversing Traditions: Celebrating Dance in India’, co-edited with S. Burridge (Routledge, 2009), ‘Dance: Transcending Borders’, edited (Tulika Books, 2008), and many journal articles and chapters in edited books.

Urmimala is currently the Vice President of World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific, and the Network Co – Chair for World Dance Alliance, Research and Documentation.