Sonal Mansingh

Sonal Mansingh
Sonal Mansingh performing in New Delhi.
Background information
Birth name	Sonal Pakvasa
Born	(1944-04-30) April 30, 1944 (age 72) Mumbai, British India
Origin	India
Genres	Indian classical dance
Occupation(s)	Indian classical dancer, Cultural Icon of India, Guru, motivational speaker
Years active	1961–present
Website	www.sonalmansingh.in

Sonal Mansingh (born Apr 30, 1944) is an Indian classical dancer and Guru Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing style; who is also proficient in other Indian classical dancing styles.

Sonal Mansingh was born in Mumbai, second of three children to Arvind and Poornima Pakvasa, a noted social worker from Gujarat and Padma Vibhushan winner in 2004. Her grandfather was Mangal Das Pakvasa, a freedom fighter, and one of the first five Governors of India.

She started learning Manipuri dance at age four, along with her elder sister, from a teacher in Nagpur, then at age seven she started learning Bharatnatyam from various gurus belonging to the Pandanallur school, including Kumar Jayakar in Bombay

She has "Praveen" and "Kovid" degrees in Sanskrit from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and B.A. (Hons) degree in German Literature from Elphinstone College, Bombay.

Though, her real training in dance started when at age 18, despite her family's opposition, she went to Bangalore, to learn Bharatanatyam from Prof. U. S. Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi at age 18, abhinaya from Mylapore Gowri Ammal, and later started learning Odissi from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra in 1965.

Mansingh was married to former Indian diplomat Lalit Mansingh. The couple decided to divorce later. Her father-in-law Mayadhar Mansingh introduced her to Kelucharan Mohapatra where she had her training in Odissi.