Jatin Goswami is a renowned exponent of which classical dance?

Explanation

Guru Jatin Goswami is one of the most respected exponents and teachers of Sattriya, the classical dance of Assam. He has worked for decades to bring Sattriya from the sattras (Vaishnavite monasteries) to the public stage and to win it recognition as a classical dance, and he has trained many leading Sattriya dancers. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to Sattriya.

Sattriya was created in the 15th and 16th centuries by Srimanta Sankaradeva, the founder of the neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam, as part of the Ankiya Nat, the one-act plays he wrote to spread devotion to Lord Krishna. For about five centuries, the dance was preserved in the sattras by the monks (bhakats), who performed it as part of their religious rituals. In the second half of the 20th century, gurus and scholars, such as Jatin Goswami and others, worked to take the dance beyond the sattras, to train women dancers and to present it on the stage. Their efforts helped the Sangeet Natak Akademi recognise Sattriya as a classical dance on 15 November 2000. Today, the Sangeet Natak Akademi runs a Sattriya Kendra in Guwahati to promote the dance.

Sattriya is accompanied by Borgeet (devotional songs composed by Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva), the khol (drum), the taal (cymbals) and the flute. Its training is based on the Mati Akhora exercises, and its dance types include Chali (graceful), Jhumura (vigorous), Nadu Bhangi and Sutradhari Nritya. Other well-known Sattriya exponents include Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan, Sharodi Saikia, Indira P.P. Bora and Anwesa Mahanta.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Manipuri is the classical dance of Manipur, linked with gurus such as Bipin Singh.
• ✗Odissi is the classical dance of Odisha, linked with gurus such as Kelucharan Mohapatra.
• ✗Kathak is the classical dance of North India, linked with gurus such as Birju Maharaj.