Bani Ray gave her first performance at the age of 6. She studied Odissi dance under some of the form's most revered gurus, such as Shri Valmiki Banerjee, Guru Durga Charan Ranbir and the late Guru Shri Nath Raut.

As a joint director from (1994-1998) of the “Nehru Institute of Odissi Research & Training” in Delhi, India, she has organized international seminars, symposia and training programs for aspiring young dancers.

She has been an ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Panel Artist and a New Jersey Arts Council Panel Artist.

The Government of India invited Bani to Trinidad and Tobago for the 150th Anniversary of the Indian Arrival Day Celebration of May 2000.

Bani participated in the “New York Ramayana” presented by the World Music Institutes in 2001.

Bani founded Trinayan Inc. in 2004 to do in-depth research, training and performing of the “Guru Dev Prasad Das style” of Odissi Classical Dance.

The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts “Out of the Door Festival” invited Bani to choreograph the opening ceremony “Saraswati Project” of the Festival in 2004.

The Department of Tourism of NY invited Bani to perform in the 2009 Indian Food Festival, organized by the Indian High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana.

Bani and her dance company, Trinayan Inc. organized a production called “Dance Fest India”, in association with the “Asia Society and Museum”, funded by the New York State Council of the Arts in 2012.

Over the last decade, Bani has periodically been a presenter and guest presenter of a Master Class in Dance Appreciation at Raritan Valley Community College, University of Massachusetts, Dance Theater of Harlem, Hunter College of New York, and Rutgers University of NJ.

In December 2017, Bani participated in the International Odissi Dance Festival organized by the Odissi Research Center in Orissa.

Since 1998 she has taught at Lotus Music & Dance and she offered Odissi classes at the Indian Consulate in New York City from 2017 to 2019.

Since 2020, Bani has expanded her classes through Zoom, online teaching from ages 7 to adult.

Since 2004, she has been invited to teach Odissi by the OSA Society NJ/NY branch, to bring awareness of the tradition and celebrate the culture through dance among the children.

From 2020-2021, Bani completed a Professional Development Certification Program offered by UNC Charlotte Dept of Dance, facilitated by Dr. Kaustavi Sakar.

Bani is currently working on a research paper, “Today’s Relevance of an Ancient Art of Orissa: Bandha Nrutya”, under the supervision of Dr. Kaustavi Sarkar, UNC Charlotte Dept. of Dance. Bani has also recently choreographed “Mahatma-the great soul”, in which she collaborates with kathak and flamenco dancers. “Mahatma-the great soul” was first performed on 23rd Oct at Manhattan Movement Center, NY to a sold out audience. Most recently, Bani has also been recognized by Ohio Arts Council as Master Artist and awarded a grant to teach and spread cultural awareness of Odissi to benefit the people of Ohio.
 

Marie Ponce is an award winning actor of stage, film, and television, a published writer, singer, dancer, costume designer, administrator, arts instructor, and program developer, who lived in eight countries and seven states during her childhood.  She is a lifetime member of Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, now in its 51st year, which preserves Native American culture through pow wows and shows at the National Museum of the American Indian and Queens County Farm Museum. She also serves on the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers pow wow vendors committee.   Marie currently teaches hoop dance workshops at Lotus Music and Dance.  More information can be found on her website.