Sonal Mansingh is a famous exponent of which classical dance?

The correct answer is Odissi. Sonal Mansingh is one of the most famous classical dancers of India. She is best known as an exponent of Odissi, the classical dance of Odisha, and she is also trained in Bharatanatyam. Her career has spanned more than six decades.

Sonal Mansingh was born in 1944 in Mumbai. She first learnt Bharatanatyam, and later trained in Odissi under the great guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She became one of the leading dancers of the revived Odissi tradition, known for her powerful abhinaya (expression), her deep knowledge of the arts and her innovative choreography. In 1977, she founded the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD) in New Delhi, which has trained many young dancers. She has performed in many countries and has used dance to address social themes, such as the rights and dignity of women and the environment. She has received many honours, including the Padma Bhushan (1992), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987) and the Padma Vibhushan (2003). In 2018, she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, by the President of India.

Odissi has many other famous exponents, including Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Sanjukta Panigrahi (one of the first Odia women to take up Odissi as a career), Kumkum Mohanty, Madhavi Mudgal, Protima Bedi (founder of Nrityagram) and Sujata Mohapatra. The dance is known for its chauka and tribhanga postures, its link with Lord Jagannath and its use of the Gita Govinda.

About the other options:

• Kathak is associated with dancers such as Pandit Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi and Kumudini Lakhia.
• Kathakali is associated with artists such as Kalamandalam Gopi and Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair.
• Sattriya is associated with gurus such as Jatin Goswami.
• Sonal Mansingh is not mainly known for any of these.