Sonali Mishra was born and raised in the US, where her parents emigrated to from Odisha in the late 1960s. What initially began as a childhood hobby to connect her to her cultural roots in Odisha became her life’s journey and passion. She was initiated into Odissi in her early teens at Chitralekha Odissi Dance Creations under Gurus Smt. Chitralekha Patnaik, Smt. Ellora Patnaik, and Sri Devraj Patnaik. Since 1995 she has been travelling to Odisha for further training and refinement at the Orissa Dance Academy under Gurus Sri Ramesh Chandra Jena, Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain, and Guru Smt. Aruna Mohanty under the direct supervision of Guru Sri Gangadhar Pradhan. She received additional guidance under Guru Smt. Nandita Behera in LA during that time. She later continued her training In India at Srjan under Guru Smt. Sujata Mohapatra and Guru Sri Ratikant Mohapatra. Sonali is receiving additional guidance under Delhi-based Guru Smt. Kumkum Lal. Sonali has also completed 4 phases of the ‘Navarasa Sadhana’ actor’s workshop conducted by Kodiyattam artiste and scholar G. Venu in Kerala. She is also receiving training in Yoga and body conditioning under Bharatanatyam Artiste -Yoga Practitioner Sri Renjith Babu Choorakad.

Sonali’s dance reflects not only her technical/artistic prowess, but also a deep understanding of the unique cultural aesthetics and spiritual quality of the art. Her commitment to artistic excellence, combined with her dedication to cultivating intellectual discourse in the field of Odissi, have carved a unique niche for her in the field of performing arts. Her rare combination of Eastern sensibilities and Western education, have allowed her to successfully cross social and cultural barriers to make Odissi more accessible globally. Sonali can easily be considered one of the leading “Global Ambassadors” of Odissi dance today. Sonali relocated to Odisha, India in 2011 where she continued to train, perform, and conduct her research. She has been living in Vrndavan since 2022, drawn to the spiritual energy and culture of Bhakti. 

Sonali has been actively engaged in cultivating thought leadership through various writing and speaking projects. In 2014 she founded an online quarterly magazine, Global Rasika, dedicated to cultivate critical thinking and discourse in the field of Odissi dance. She has participated in a number of panel discussions (live and digital) on current trends in the dance field. She has also been a featured speaker on various (live and digital) platforms. Sonali has also written for HUES (Hear Us Emerging Sisters) Magazine, Narthaki.com, attenDance, Nartanam, and American Kahani. Sonali received her BA in English from the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and an MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, with a concentration on Cultural Policy and Development.

A dedicated and meticulous teacher, Sonali has conducted workshops in Odissi at Jiwan Pani Dance Academy (North Carolina), Ekada AC (Madrid, Valencia, Murcia, Granada), Gungur Arts (Barcelona), Showit Dance Academy (Lisbon), Fall for Dance Festival (New York City), Centre Mandapa (Paris), Steps on Broadway (New York City), Mandala Arts (Chicago), Kings College (London), and Navatman (New York City). She has worked as a visiting instructor in Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, and Berlin.

Sonali has also conducted lecture-demonstrations for various colleges, cultural organizations and Universities including: the University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, City University of New York, Stony Brook University, Sri Sri University, University of Kerala, and the University of Lisbon. She has conducted workshop-demonstrations in Kota (Rajasthan), and Bhubaneswar as part of SPIC MACAY’s Workshop Demonstration Series. In 2015 and 2016 she was a part of the ‘India Quartet’ headed by Pandit Subroto Roychoudhury, conducting lecture-demonstrations in Indian dance and music in various schools throughout Innsbruck (Austria). In 2019 she was part of the lecture series ‘Transiting Traditions at  Comunidade Hindu de Portugal in Lisbon along with Kathak artiste Lajja Sambhavanath and Bharatanatyam artiste Tarika Valli.

Sonali has performed as a soloist in numerous venues throughout the US, UK, Canada, India, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, and Malaysia to include: MahaShivratri at Lokanath Temple (Puri), Shri Haridas Sangeet Sammelan at Sneh Bihari Mandir (Vrndavan), Stirring Odissi Festival (Kuala Lumpur) Asia Society (New York), Drive East Festival (New York), Centre Mandappa (Paris), Tagore Center/Indian Embassy (Berlin), Espacio Rhonda (Madrid), Rhonda Barcelona (Barcelona), Teatro El Apadearo (Granada), Millennium India Festival (Chicago), Nehru Centre (London), Natyanjali Festival (Chidambaram, Kumbakonam), Bharat Bhavan (Thrissur/Trivandrum), Mahari Award Festival (Bhubaneswar).