Maya Rao
| Maya Rao | |
|---|---|
| Born |
2 May 1928 Malleswaram, Bangalore |
| Died | 1 September 2014 (aged 86) Bangalore |
| Occupation |
Kathak guru, dancer, choreographer |
| Years active | 1945– 2014 |
| Current group | Natya and Stem Dance Kampani |
| Dances | Kathak |
Kathak guru, dancer, choreographer
Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kathak, a North Indian-dance style to South India, when she opened her dance school, Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC) in Malleswaram, Bangalore in 1987. She was also the founder director of her dance company, "Natya and Stem Dance Kampni", an amalgam of NIKC and the STEM Dance Kampni ( founded by her daughter Madhu Nataraj) based in Bangalore. After her early training under Guru Sohanlal of Jaipur Gharana, followed by Guru Sunder Prasad also of the Jaipur Gharana, and went to train under Guru Shambhu Maharaj of Lucknow Gharana at National Institute of Kathak Dance in Delhi.
She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama in 1989. In 2011, the Akademi awarded her the Tagore Akademi Ratna, given to 100 artists from across India to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, for their contribution in the field of performing arts.
She was born in Malleswaram, Bangalore to orthodox Konkani Saraswat Brahmin family of Hattangadi Sanjeev Rao, a renowned architect in the city, and Subhadra Bai. She had three brothers and three sisters. At an early age she learnt Hindustani classical music – vocal and instrumental dilruba from Rama Rao, being from an orthodox family where girls didn't learn dance, considered a taboo. However this changed when at age 12, after she and her architect father watched dancer Uday Shankar's troupe perform at BRV Talkies auditorium in Bangalore. Moved by the performance, his father wanted his daughters to learn dance.
...
Wikipedia