Sruti Bandopadhyay is a well-known exponent of which dance?

Explanation

Sruti Bandopadhyay is a well-known Manipuri dancer, teacher and scholar from West Bengal. She has received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to Manipuri dance.

Sruti Bandopadhyay is known for her graceful dancing, her research and writing on Manipuri and on the dance traditions associated with Rabindranath Tagore, and her long career as a teacher of dance at university level in Kolkata. She has trained many students, performed in India and abroad, and created choreographic works based on Manipuri and on Tagore's dance-dramas. West Bengal has a special link with Manipuri dance, because Rabindranath Tagore introduced Manipuri at Santiniketan around 1919, after seeing a performance in Sylhet, and used it in his dance-dramas. Because of this, Manipuri has been taught and performed in Bengal for more than a century.

Manipuri is the classical dance of Manipur. It is deeply linked with Vaishnavism and the worship of Radha and Krishna. Its most famous form is the Raas Leela, which depicts the love of Radha, Krishna and the gopis. The Raas Leela in its present form was developed in the 18th century by Raja Bhagyachandra (also known as Ningthou Ching-Thang Khomba). Manipuri is known for its soft, gentle and flowing movements, the absence of strong foot stamping, and the dancers' faces, which remain calm. The female dancers wear the potloi, a stiff, barrel-shaped skirt. The Pung Cholom, a dance performed by drummers while playing the pung (drum), is another famous part of the tradition. The ancient ritual festival of Lai Haraoba is regarded as the source of many Manipuri dance movements. Famous Manipuri artists include Guru Bipin Singh, the Jhaveri sisters and Guru Amubi Singh.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kathakali is the dance-drama of Kerala.
• ✗Kuchipudi is the classical dance of Andhra Pradesh.
• ✗Odissi is the classical dance of Odisha.