Ellora Patnaik (born September 5, 1968) is a Canadian actress of film, stage and television as well as an Odissi dancer.
Her parents were born in the state of Orissa (now Odisha), India, and immigrated to Canada in the 1960s.
In 1986, she was selected for training by (late) Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, and went to study at the Odissi Research Centre in Orissa, India.
Patnaik's first and primary dance guru was her mother, who began training her as an Odissi dancer from a very young age.
She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts[clarification needed] from 1992 to 1994 and was a member of the company in her third year.