Ellora Patnaik (born September 5, 1968) is an Canadian actress of film, stage and television as well as an Odissi dancer.

Biography

Early life
Ellora was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ellora is the first child of her parents (seven years older than her sibling Devraj Patnaik), Promod and Chitralekha Patnaik, who were born in the state of Orissa, India, and emigrated to Canada in the 1960s. She made numerous trips to India with her family in her youth. Ellora's parents soon moved to Oakville and then to Burlington, Ontario, where Ellora attended M. M. Robinson High School. In 1986, she was selected for training by (late) Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra, and went to study at the Odissi Research Centre in Orissa, India.


Dance training
Ellora's first and primary dance Guru was her mother Chitralekha Patnaik, who began training her as an Odissi dancer from a very young age. She has also received training from such notables as (late) Padmashri Pankaj Charan Das, (late) Padmabibhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra, Padmashri Sanjukta Panigrahi, and Padmashri Gangadhar Pradhan.


Acting
Ellora Patnaik attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1992 to 1994 and was a member of the company in her third year. She has acted in film, television, and theatre works. In 2009, she played Jyoti Mehta, Indie Mehta's mother, in the Canadian television series How To Be Indie on YTV, she filmed another season in 2010.