Shashadhar Acharya | |
|---|---|
 Chhau dance performance in Delhi | |
| Born | Saraikela, Jharkhand, India |
| Occupation | Chhau dance exponent |
| Known for | Chhau dance |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2020) |
Shashadhar Acharya is aChhau dance exponent fromSaraikela,Jharkhand, India. In 2020, he received thePadma Shri honour from theGovernment of India for his contribution in the field of Arts.[1]
Acharya is a fifth-generation dancer from his family. He learned Chhau from his father, Lingaraj Acharya, and then from Natshekhar Bana Bihari Pattnaik, Vikram Karmakar,Kedarnath Sahu, and Sudhendranath Singhdeo. In the early 1990s, he left Saraikela to work at the Gurukul Dance Academy and then at thePrithvi Theatre inMumbai. He is a faculty member at theFilm and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and at theNational School of Drama, New Delhi. He teaches at the New Delhi–basedTriveni Kala Sangam. In 2020, he received the Padma Shri honour for his contribution in the field of Arts.[2][3][1]