“If the ideas are weighty, Rout communicates them with an alluring airiness. Not only do they make sense, they seem absolutely achievable. She possesses a clarity that is almost startling.”

—Payton,Brenda. The Oakland Tribune 1 April 2005
“She’s after something more profound. As a dancer, choreographer and teacher of Odissi dance, a classical Indian dance form, she is trying to channel and communicate the essence of spirituality.”

— Payton,Brenda. The Oakland Tribune 1 April 2005
“Rout displays an impressive range of emotions. Although the audience is unable to understand the mudras or the story being told by the singer, Rout’s facial expressions gave meaning and emotional relevance to the dances. The audience may not understand the mudras, but they can understand the emotions motivating it.”

—Salazar-Rubio, Sofia. The Daily Californian 14 April 2005
“With bodies intertwined and arranged to create human filigree, the group poses were carefully crafted works of art; the radiance of the costumes and poised grace of the dancers were a gourmet feast for the eyes.”

—Salazar-Rubio, Sofia. The Daily Californian 14 April 2005
“Rout is known for the range of her dance as well as the depth of her expressions. Captivating the audience with her style, she captures the subtlest of emotions with relative ease.”

—Ravinder, Archana. India Post 19 September 2003
“The bonding is evident. While teaching, she stops to help a student adjust her dupatta, a scarf-like cloth worn by Indian women, and jokes with the students after class.”

—Shah, Rima. Bay Area Living 14 July 2003
“Rout teaches her students to examine what they are feeling and to use that in their dancing.”

—Shah, Rima. Bay Area Living 14 July 2003
“It’s obvious that Rout instills a respect for that (Odissi) tradition in her dancers but she also gives them room to express themselves.”

—Nishioka, Joyce. Asian Week 3 April 2003
“If you see her dancing Odissi, you’d swear she is the goddess for whom the dance is supposed to be performed.”

—Dixit, Meg. India West 3 March 1995
“Jyoti Rout has no interest in simply making beautiful dances, even though by all accounts, her performances are stunningly beautiful.”

—Payton,Brenda. The Oakland Tribune 1 April 2005
Jyoti Rout
Founder And Director Of Jyoti Kala Mandir

Guru Jyoti Rout is the founder director of Jyoti Kala Mandir, College of Indian Classical Arts. She is actively engaged in spreading awareness and appreciation of this ancient art form around the globe.

Guru Jyoti Rout’s interest in dance was kindled during childhood, when she witnessed a tribal dance by firelight in a remote mountain village. Years later she enrolled for lessons in Odissi dance at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidylay, the Odisha University for Music and Dance, where she earned a Master’s degree. She then went on to study vocal music, and Chau Dance (Mayurbanj Style).

eley California, one of the largest Odissi schools in the West. She has also established centers in Fremont, San Jose, and Bhubaneshwar.

Guru Jyoti Rout is a truly gifted performer. To witness her dance is to see the ancient temple sculptures come to life. She is most appreciated for her Abhinaya (expression) and crisp footwork. She alternates between rage, love, fear and amusement with ease, moving you to empathize with each character. Even within each emotion she conveys the subtle nuances, those imperceptible shifts in feeling – with clarity and genuineness.

Guru Jyoti Rout is a magnificent choreographer. She has choreographed over 60 original items in the classical Odissi tradition. Jyoti Rout was one of the dancers who has great opportunity to dance in front of Lord Jagannath in Puri.

She is the recipient of an award from World Arts West for her outstanding choreography of Dasavatara at the prestigious Ethnic Dance Festival at San Francisco in 2006. She has been honored by several National and International awards from around the globe, including Pride of India National Award, Shrishetra Mahari Award from Jagannath Puri, Shrestha Odiani, the Life Time Achievement Award from Kharabela Youth Club, Kalashree Award from OSA, USA, Nirtya Siramani from Olympiad Cuttack Odisha, Odishi Ratna From Bhubaneshwar, Nrutya Sudha from Swarasudha Sangeet Sadhana, Odisha, Living Legend Award from Orissadiary.com, and in 2017 the Prestigious Mahari Award from Guru Pankaj Charan Research Foundation

Guru Jyoti Rout is much more than a skilled dancer. As Brenda Payton of the Oakland Tribune Newspaper rightly observed “Jyoti Rout has no interest in simply making beautiful dances, even though by all accounts her performances are stunningly beautiful. She’s after something more profound. As a dancer, choreographer, and teacher of Odissi dance…she is trying to channel and communicate the essence of spirituality.”

Guru Jyoti Rout is an inspired teacher. She has shaped her students into well accomplished dancers, several of whom have chosen to move across the country to study with her. She has trained a number of students for their Ranga Puja (solo debut), many of whom have become successful soloists and Odissi dance teachers. It is fascinating to watch her transform her students, many from a western ethos, into dancers having the consciousness, sensibility and body language of an Odissi dancer. She teaches Odissi as a spiritual practice, emphasizing relaxation, mindfulness and focus while engaging in rigorous physical practice.

In her words, “Just as the carvings of the ancient temples of Odisha hold a divine geometry in their form, so too Odissi Dance has encoded in its grammatical structure a practical pathway to open to the spiritual essence. The lines of Odissi, the depth of expression and the awareness practices open the dancer to an experience larger than his or her small self. Odissi at its best is a kind of darshan, a flow of blessings, for both the audience and the dancer.” For Jyoti Rout, both teaching and performing dance is a matter of devotion to Lord Jagannath. It is His spirit that inspires and illumines this radiant dancer.

Guru Jyoti Rout’s mission is “to teach and share the beauty of this dance with devotion and pure love”. Hence the focus of the school is on not merely the technique but overall philosophy of the Indian classical arts. The ancient systems of dance and music codified in the sacred texts of India state clearly that these practices are meant as a means of growth for the individual toward union with God. Classical dance and music were originally performed before the deity in the temple as an offering. For the student who commits to the practice, it is a commitment to the internal transformations, as well as to the rigorous physical training. The training addresses both of these aspects of Odissi.

Shyamahari Chakra of the Hindu Newspaper described her as the “Ambassador of Odissi Dance”.

Founder/Director of JKM

Following a successful career as a dancer in Orissa, India, Jyoti Rout came to the United States in 1993 and founded Jyoti Kala Mandir. Today JKM is a thriving community of families, dancers and second generation teachers. Many of her students have completed a Ranga Puja and are establishing careers as soloists. Jyoti Rout is still actively performing throughout the United States, India and internationally. She is a brilliant dancer, teacher and choreographer.

Teacher

Jyoti Rout's teaching is based on devotion, service and surrender. She is deeply committed to passing on the torch of Odissi dance. In Odissi classes, students learn exercises, body positions, stepping technique, and dance item stories, music and choreography. Jyoti Rout believes that while technical proficiency is important, deep surrender is most important so that the divine can truly shine through a dancer.

Choreographer

Jyoti Rout has choreographed more than 60 original items. Please refer to "choreography" for a complete list.

Video Footage

Please click below for a glimpse of Guru Jyoti Rout's choreography.
Jyoti Rout - JKM YouTube Chanel

Choreography

1. Ganga
2. Vasundhara
3. Trinath
4. Saraswati (Mago Vani)
5. Guru Vandana
6. Dipang Jyoti
7. Twameva Mata cha Pita
8. EkaDanta Ganapati
9. Shiva (Pannaga Bhushana)
10. Bhagavad Gita – Nainam Chindanti Shastaani
11. Krishna ashtakam
12. Raghu Pati Kulam
13. Surya Vandana
14. Pancha Dev Sthuti
15. Ashtalakshmi
16. Ganesh
17. Guru PadukaStotram
18. Saraswati Mangalacharan

1. Sthai Nato
2. Bondho Nato

1. Megh (Mudra)
2. Bageshri (Shringar)
3. Mukhari
4. Abhogi (Lasya)
5. Mishra Aravi
6. Chanda
7. Bajrakanti
8. Ananda Bhairavi

1. Om Mani Padme Hum (Heart of Compassion)
2. Mamiam (Ashtapadi)
3. Lalita Labanga (Ashtapadi)
4. Biswa Bina (Bengali Song by Rabindra Nath Tagore)
5. Chidananda Rupa, Nirvana Shatakam (Adi Guru Sankracharya)
6. Bajra Kilaya (Dance Feature based on Tibetan Buddhist story)
7. Yashodhara (Singhali Abhinaya based on Yashodera’s feelings)
8. Ashadh (Bengali songs by Rabindra Nath Tagore)
9. Saptha Shiva Thandava
10. Radha Bodono (Ashtapadi)
11. Pasyati Disi (Ashtapadi)
12. Durga (Mahishasura Mardini)
13. Hanuman Vatika
14. Ki Shara Go Kunje
15. Buddha (Emotions)
16. Ashta Nayikas
17. Ladalu (Singhali song)
18. Durga Stuti ( Adi Guru Sri Sankaracharya)
19. Droupadi
20. Bhimobhoi Song ( Nirote Bhojo)
21. Gajanan (Ganesh Tandav)
22. Sojo Konjo Noyona Kunje
23. Durga Vandana ( Mage Sorono)
24. Hara Chandi Malashree
25. Shyamo Ronge (Oriya Abhinaya)
26. Piyanani (Singhali Abhinaya)
27. Hanuman Chalisa
28. Brojo Rajo Kumoro
29. Mor Bina (Rabindranath Tagore)
30. Krishna Tandava
31. Tumaka Chalaka Ramachandra
32. Maya Mahathagini (Kabir)
33. Mahalakshmi Stotram
34. Mohini (Bhasmasura Baddha)
35. Chandana charchira (Ashtapadi)
36. Nagamomu Ganaleni (Telegu song)
37. Bhaja Govindam
38. Avartan (Bhramaris)
39. Twam (only you)

1. Shri Jagannath
2. Om Namah Shivaya
3. Budha, The Path of Light
4. Ya Devi
5. Cosmic Dance
6. Konark
7. Dasa Bhuja
8. Mokshada – based on the journey of a seeker in the alleys of Varanasi and depicting the story of Varanasi