Sushmita Poddar (Hillsboro) is an Asian Indian folk and classical dancer, henna artist, and teacher. After opening her own dance school, Poddar has taught workshops at community events, schools, and businesses across the area for 10 years.
Bio
Sushmita Poddar is a dancer, henna artist, and business owner from Kolkata, India. Poddar believes her own creative energy came from her mother, who is an artist and musician. As a child, Poddar began learning both folk and classical at her boarding school. She owns a dance company based in Hillsboro, where she teaches folk dance forms from all over India as well as Bollywood-inspired dance. Bollywood dance is a blend of all Indian dance styles, from classical to folk as well as R&B and hip hop. While it became popular as the result of India’s film industry (Bollywood combines the words Bombai—now Mumbai—and Hollywood), the trend quickly spread to clubs, parties, and weddings, where the form further transformed into a fusion folk dance without which no celebratory event would be complete. Poddar is also a talented mehindi (henna) artist. Mehindi is a temporary “tattoo,” that involves using henna paste to create intricate traditional designs. All over India and, indeed, the Pacific rim, women use henna to adorn their hands, arms, feet, and legs for holidays, weddings, and other special occasions. Although Poddar was surrounded by henna in Kolkata, she did not begin to practice the traditional art form until 2011. Since she began actively doing mehindi, Poddar claims that when she goes without it for a while, her “fingers twitch.” Poddar values the close connection she creates with people by doing their mehindi designs; she explains that she has even cried together with her clients because of the intense connection that comes from holding someone’s hand and making it beautiful. Poddar is also a very active member of the Indian community in Hillsboro. She organizes an event every April to celebrate the Indian spring festival, Holi—a playful holiday that involves families and communities coming together to eat traditional foods and to throw colorful powders and water on each other to welcome the spring season.
