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Madhu Nataraj

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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
DancesKathak 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.

Early life

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

Education

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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

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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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Connections, Saigan. "Articles - KATHAK AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR CHOREOGRAPHY by Madhu Natraj". www.narthaki.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Kathak with a big twist". Deccan Chronicle. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "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. ^ a b c d 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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