Sonali Acharjee displays her Guinness World Records certificate on Thursday. Telegraph picture

April 26: Sonali Acharjee, who made it to the Guinness World Records recently by dancing for over 25 hours non-stop, was in the city today, revealing among other things, her desire to set up a state-of-the-art dance institute here to help people pursue dance as a career.

Sonali, who hails from Hailakandi district, performed the longest Rabindra dance marathon for 25 hours and 25 minutes with a troupe of 125 artistes at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad, on February 1 and 2.

The troupe had performed the four most celebrated dance ballets of Tagore — Chitrangada, Chandalika, Shyama and Bhanu Singher Padavali.

“We wanted to pay tribute to Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary by organising a dance festival, Rabindra Nrityotsav. The budget for the entire programme was Rs 30 lakh. I approached the Andhra Pradesh government which, after a bit of hesitation, offered some assistance,” Sonali said.

The programme was organised in collaboration with South Zone Cultural Centre, Andhra Pradesh.

The artistes came from all over India, including Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

There were also dancers from countries like France, Germany, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Sonali said the performance was an experience of a lifetime for her and her troupe.

Sonali, who runs a dance academy, Sonali Academy of Fine Arts, in Hyderabad, said: “I want to open a dance academy in Guwahati so that students can learn different classical dance forms here. I also want to set up a small branch in the Barak Valley.”

She only needs some land to set up her institution, she added.

Sonali said since there was no good teacher or institution of Odissi dance in her district, she had to go to Odisha for her training.

“Now I am trying to promote the dance in Andhra Pradesh through my dance academy and have succeeded to some extent,” she said.

Sonali has also been contacted by the organising committee of the Olympic Games for a performance in the forthcoming London Olympics.

Talking to reporters today, she said it would be a dream come true to perform during the inauguration ceremony of the Olympics.

“But it is not been finalised yet,” she added.

State irrigation and soil conservation minister Ardhendu Kumar Dey, who accompanied her to the news conference, said she was the pride of the country.

“It is our moral responsibility to support her and her effort,” said Dey, who happens to be her acquaintance.