Madhu Nataraj

Last updated

Madhu Nataraj
Born (1971-02-24) 24 February 1971 (age 53)
Bangalore
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer, arts entrepreneur
Years active1991 to present
Career
Current groupNatya institute of Kathak & Choreography Stem Dance Kampani
Dances Kathak Indian Contemporary dance
Websitewww.stemdancekampni.in

Madhu Nataraj (born 24 February 1971) is an Indian classical, contemporary dancer and choreographer who lives in Bangalore. [1] [2] [3] She is the director of the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography and founded its performing wing STEM (Space.Time.Energy.Movement) Dance Kampni.

Contents

Early life

Nataraj was born on 21 February 1971 in Bangalore to M.S.Natarajan and Maya Rao, an Indian classical dancer. [3] [2] [4]

Education

Nataraj did her B.Com from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She learnt dance at Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography in Bangalore and also enrolled for a course in journalism at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. [5]

Nataraj received her dance training in Kathak under her mother Maya Rao, aunt Chitra Venugopal and Munna Shukla. [3] [1]

Nataraj trained in contemporary dance from Karen Potter at the Jose Limon Centre, New York. She learnt under Karen Potter and Sara Pearson. [3] [5]

She has trained in folk and martial dances of India and studied Yoga using the B.K.S Iyengar technique. [1]

As of 2018, she was pursuing a master's degree in Anthropology from Indira Gandhi Open University. [5]

Career

In 1995, Nataraj set up the STEM (Space.Time.Energy.Movement) Dance Kampni which is the performing wing of Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. [5] [6] The dance company has performed globally, having traveled to 37 countries including the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, UAE and Southeast Asia. [7] [8] It has made approximately 60 productions and more than 100 unique short sequences. [9] She is also the director of the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. [10]

Nataraj has performed in various dance festivals such as the Khajuraho Festival, Khajuraho; Purana Quila Festival, Delhi; Nritya Kriti organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi, Ahmedabad; Festival of Babylon; Kathak Mahotsav, Delhi, Lucknow and Canada and Kalanidhi International Dance Festival, Toronto. [3]

She was a dance curator for the Under The Raintree women's cultural festival in 2017 and 2019. [11]

Awards and achievements

In 2010, Nataraj was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi for her talent in the field of creative and experimental dance. [3] She won the 50 young achievers of India today award. She also received the Mohan Khokar Award in 2011. [3] She is a fellow of Ananta Aspen Centre's Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship. [12] [13]

Other interests

Nataraj enjoys reading and she writes on various topics ranging from dance to women's issues. [14] She is also interested in textiles and travel. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Connections, Saigan. "Articles - KATHAK AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR CHOREOGRAPHY by Madhu Natraj". www.narthaki.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Kathak with a big twist". Deccan Chronicle. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "CUR_TITLE". sangeetnatak.gov.in. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "Madhu Nataraj Kiran on her mother the iconic Maya Rao". mumsandstories.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kambanna, Manasa (1 July 2018). "Walking many roads". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  6. ↑ "Welcome to Stem Dance Kampni !". www.stemdancekampni.in. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  7. ↑ YourStory (24 June 2015). Her Story: Madhu Nataraj. YouTube. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. ↑ Husaini, Zara (13 October 2015). "Kathak Dancer Madhu Nataraj Builds Upon her Mother's Legacy Through a Bangalore-Based Dance Troupe". India.com. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Madhu Nataraj comes up with a unique fundraiser this weekend". The Times of India. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "Executive Board". Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "Kampni – STEM Dance Kampni" . Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship". anantaaspencentre.in. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  14. ↑ Shekhar, Divya (2018). "How poetry of 12th century women mystics impacted Madhu Natraj". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "Dancer's diary". The New Indian Express. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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