Dances are a way of life intertwined with the fabric of Manipuri society. Priti Patel preserves the traditions of Manipuri dance and embodies through her creation, Anjika Centre for Manipuri Dance.
She learnt the form at a very early age and trained with Guru Bipin Singh who took the unusual step of coming to her house to teach her until she turned 17. Through rigorous training she excelled in the Vaishnavite tradition of dance. Thereupon she proceeded to delve deeper into the form exploring Thang Ta and Lai Haraoba that were pre-Vaishnavite traditions
The danseuse learnt to explore new avenues through the exploration of new tales and different presentations. She became a master of lighting, using innovation stagecraft and created path breaking choreographies.
Padmashri Maharajkumari Binodini Devi inspired her to open Anjika and introduced her to the grassroots culture of Manipur and the finesse of the costumes. Anjika was inaugurated in 1995.
This unique dance school was opened with a ritual performance of Maharas, something that had never been attempted before outside a temple and outside Manipur.
Since then Anjika’s journey of over 25 years, has continued in this path breaking vein, including therapeutic dance for children and expanding its curriculum of Manipur dance forms, each added after consultation with her gurus. It is a school for Manipuri dance and is also a school for Movement Therapy for children suffering from cerebral palsy.
Priti Patel has undergone formal training from the Lesley College, Boston in the United States of America in dance and Movement Therapy and has worked with special children in collaboration with the Indian Institute for Cerebral Palsy.
