Guwahati, Oct. 7: Renowned classical dancer Pushpa Bhuyan breathed her last at her residence in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, around 3.30pm today after prolonged illness.

Bhuyan was 72. She is survived by her husband and three daughters.

Hailing from Jorhat in Upper Assam, Bhuyan dedicated her life to classical dance and was an exponent of Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Xattriya.

She was one of the first few Assamese artistes to take up classical dancing as a serious profession. In fact, she was the first Assamese to learn Bharatanatyam in Kalakshetra, Chennai.

Bhuyan performed extensively all over the world, including in the US, France, UK, Belgium, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and Australia.

She also ran dance schools in Melbourne, Australia and Lille, France.

One of her contributions to Assam is her classical dance institution, Pushpanjali Cultural Academy in Guwahati, where she was the founder-director. More than a thousand students have been trained at Pushpanjali.

A recipient of the North East Television Lifetime Achievement Award, Bhuyan was also honoured with the Padma Shri in 2002.