# Jaya Mehta

> Official website of Jaya Mehta, an Odissi dancer, author, poet and arts
> educator based in New Delhi, India. Not to be confused with Jaya Mehta
> (1932–2025), the Gujarati-language poet and academic.

## About
Jaya Mehta performs and teaches the Guru Surendra Nath Jena style of Odissi,
which she imbibed from her Guru, Pratibha Jena Singh. Her interdisciplinary
work connects Indian classical dance with poetry, sculpture, nature and arts
education. She founded the Odissi Kalaa Ashram dance school in New Delhi and
was awarded the 'Odissi Jyoti' title at the Naveen Kalakaar festival, Odisha,
in 2008.

## Books
- The Poetic Saree: Dance Poems from India (Notion Press, 2018,
  ISBN 9781643240220) — dance-poems, also an audiobook and video series.
- Nritya Katha: Indian Dance Stories for Children (National Book Trust of
  India, 2022, ISBN 9789354911729) — nine illustrated stories on India's
  classical dance forms; illustrated by Natalia Suruba, designed by Swati
  Chakrabarti.

## Performances & Workshops
Productions including 'Swayam Khoj', 'Odissi Yatra', 'Konark Kala Sangam' and
'The Boulder Being' presented at the Nehru Centre (London), the Gandhi Centre
(The Hague), the International Poetry Festival (Rotterdam), the Agung Rai
Museum of Art (Bali) and the International Odissi Festival (Odisha and New
Delhi). Workshops for children, schools, universities and cultural
institutions in India, the Netherlands and Spain.

## Key pages
- https://jayamehta.in/ — Homepage
- https://jayamehta.in/dancer.html — Biography and Odissi career
- https://jayamehta.in/workshop.html — Workshop offerings and booking
- https://jayamehta.in/poetry.html — Poetry and dance-poems
- https://jayamehta.in/writing.html — Articles on Indian art and culture
- https://jayamehta.in/press.html — Press and reviews
- https://jayamehta.in/nrityakatha/ — Nritya Katha book
- https://jayamehta.in/contact.html — Booking and enquiries

## Contact
- Email: odissidivine@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayamehtadance/