Brought up in Jorhat, Assam, Shilpika Bordoloi’s initiation to dance started very early. At the age of three, she began her training in the Indian Classical dance form of Manipuri under Guru Rathindra Sinha and later on with Padmashree Darshana Jhaveri. Then she went on to study Bharatanatyam under Padmashree Leela Samson, and later worked in her company, Spandan from 2003-2004. Gradually, she went into the world of Martial Arts and is trained in Chi-Gong, Martial Arts (Chinese and Korean) including Tai-Ji-Quan under Sensei Rashid Ansari along with Voice and Theatre Movement.
She holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi.
She has spent considerable amount of time, travelling along the river Brahmaputra and researching on her multi-media project called “Katha Yatra”. A culmination of this project was creation of the physical theatre piece “Majuli” which has been showcased across Assam, rest of India, UK and HongKong from 2014 onwards.
She is a visiting faculty to National School of Drama (NSD), NSD (Theatre-in-Education Wing) and School of Film and Television (SIFT). She is also actively involved in yoga and is a certified yoga teacher providing workshops to people of different backgrounds.
Shilpika has received India’s most prestigious National Young Artist Award. She has been conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademy Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2015 for contemporary/experimental dance. She is the founder member of Brahmaputra Cultural Foundation and has created a Centre of cultural exchanges called NOI at Jorhat, Assam.
She is the playwright, lead performer and director of A Human Endeavour, a play which has also been showcased by the National School of Drama as part of its Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2020.
* In 2018, “Majuli” was performed at National Mime Festival organised by Sangeet Natak Academy & Kanglei Mime Theater, Imphal, Manipur.
* In 2017, “Majuli” was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was invited as part of Dance Base & the India@UK Year of Culture Festival performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh.
* “Majuli” was performed at Guwahati Literary Festival in January and in Jorhat in May 2017
* “Longing” was performed at The Sangeet Natak Akademi festival at Silchar and Brahmaputra River Symposium in Guwahati.
* In 2016, she performed “Majuli” at the “Sangeet Natak Academy Festival”.
* In 2015, Shilpika performs “Majuli” at “Prakritheeyam”, “WIWA Theatre Festival” Kerla, and “Attakkalari Biennial” Bangalore.
* In 2014, “Majuli” was premiered, supported by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India and India foundation for the Arts. The premiere was held in New Delhi, followed by Rangashankara, Bangalore, and Rabindra Bhavan, Guwahati. There was also the site specific premiere on the bank of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati. “Majuli” was invited for performance to “Contemporary Arts week”, “Under the Sal Tree”, “Ekaharya Theatre Festival” and “Shoonya”.
* In 2013, she performed “Majuli”, a work-in-progress demonstration of her project “Katha Yatra” in Guwahati, Assam, in April
* In the same year, she also performed -“Women poets of the sub-continent” in Mumbai, -“Longing”, an original dance piece in Tranceforme, Mumbai.
* In 2011 she has performed -Dance-theatre piece “0”, produced by Katyani Productions and directed by Sohaila Kapur.
* She also performed “O” at the Bharatendu, Sahitya Kala Parishad festival, at “Gagawaka – Making Strange” a performance in collaboration with artist Vivan Sundaram, at “A Doll’s House” in collaboration with designer Deepika Govind
* She was the heroine for the Musical “Bollywood Love Story” produced by Teamwork Productions, New Delhi, in September. Henceforth, she was a part of the ICCR tour of Russia, China and Japan and across 6 cities of Italy. -In the the Electron Music Festival, Geneva, Switzerland. -Cec 2011, Fesival for Experimental Art, Carnival of Creativity, at Sattal, Uttaranchal, in February. -“XOver dialogues in Music and Dance” an evening of dance and music at the India Habitat Centre, with Choreographer Sheela Raj in February. -“An exploration of music and poetry” with Salima Raza at the India International Centre in January.
* In 2010, Delhi International Arts Festival, she performed an original piece, a solo called “Journey of Dawn”
* She performed “Impermanence” a contemporary solo piece as a part of the Gati Residency.
* She was a part of the dance-theatre performance “In/Out/In” that premiered in the National School of Drama (NSD) festival, Bharangam and had been directed by Aditee Biswas.
* In 2009, she performed an original piece, a solo called “Longing”, at the Delhi International Arts Festival
* She also performed a dance-theatre piece, “A Human Endeavour” based on Mary Shelley’s 1831, ‘Introduction to Frankenstein’
* Her other dance-theatre performances include – -“Walking-I” and “Walking-II”, based on pieces written by Linda Hogan, in collaboration with Rashid Ansari
* She was also a part of the dance-theatre performance “Erendira and her heartless Grand-mother” based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story, directed by Amal Allana.
* In 2008 she performed in “Contradictions and Cohesions”, a contemporary dance piece directed and choreographed by Rashid Ansari and a dance-theatre piece called “Pink Balloon”, also choreographed by Rashid Ansari
* The same year she was a part of the dance-theatre piece “A Midsummers Night’s Dream”, the theatre piece “Story of Rahul” and the theatre piece “Toffee with Taran” all directed by Vivek Mansukhani
* She has also performed in the Contemporary dance piece “Colours” directed by Gilles Chuyen
She has choreographed –
* In 2014, “Drums of North-East” for “Prag Television”, Assam.
* “Hum Hi Aapne Aap”, directed by Bipin Kumar (Repertory company, NSD), in July 2012.
* “Harmony”, which was presented by Father Agnel School in May 2012.
* “Shifa”, which had been directed by Tripurari Sharma, a play based on HIV AIDS, and which was then performed across India, by UNICEF, September 2010 onwards.
* “Macbeth”, directed by Jamil Khan (Bangladesh), also choreographed by her was presented at the National School of Drama (NSD), in October 2010.
* “Ramayana”, presented by Vasant Valley School in November 2008.
* Shilpika provides Yoga workshops for senior citizens, pregnant women, beginners, intermediates, children and people who need special help
* She has been a Guest faculty for the Physical Theatre and for Theatre in Education (TIE), at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi since June 2012 and January 2013 respectively
* She is a Guest Faculty at School of Film and Television, SIFT, Haryana since Feb 2013
* She is a Guest Faculty at Physical Theatre at Bharatendu Natya Academi (BNA), Lucknow, since 2011. She conducted movement workshops in collaboration with Action Aid for children in rural Assam.
* She served as a Physical Theatre teacher at the Father Agnel School, New Delhi, from February 2012 – May 2012.
* She taught as a Contemporary Dance teacher at the Bluebells International School, New Delhi from August 2007 – March 2011.
* She was a trainer for Personality Development through voice/speech, physicality of movement and posture-work at the Elite Modelling Agency, New Delhi from April 2009 – 2010.
* She has also served as a Creative Movement therapist at Sanjeevani, for people with special needs in New Delhi in 2007.