Dr. phil. Sharmila Rao

🪔 About

Dr. phil. Sharmila Rao-Bansal is a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher based in Zurich, Switzerland. Born in 1980, she is the daughter of Vijaya Rao and Anton Tönz, founders of the Nateschwara Akademie. Her initiation into Bharatanatyam began at the age of five under Guru Sri Pathagudy S. Ramaswamy, followed by further training with her mother, Vijaya Rao, a renowned Bharatanatyam exponent herself. Sharmila Rao's artistic education also includes vocal Carnatic music training under Shri B. Raghuram, late Shri N. Purushothaman, and Smt. Shanta Balasubramanian, as well as basic Veena training. She also studied Western classical music, including piano and traverse flute. She completed her Arangetram, her stage debut, in 1992 at the age of eleven and has been performing widely since. In 2010, she earned her diploma as a teacher and accompanying singer from the Nateschwara Academy. Academically, Dr. Rao-Bansal holds a Masters degree in Indology, Social Anthropology, and Educational Science from the University of Zurich, completed in 2008. She further pursued her studies, graduating with a PhD in Indology from the University of Zurich in 2017, with her dissertation focusing on “The Modern Reception of Purandara Dasa's Compositions.” Currently, Sharmila Rao works as a freelance dancer and dance teacher in Zurich. Since 2016, she has been running "Sharmila Rao's Bharata Natyam Dance School," offering group and private classes for children and adults in Zurich Alstetten and Wettingen, Switzerland. She has over 25 years of teaching experience. Her performances are noted for her striking stage presence, intense devotion, thoughtful Abhinaya (expressive dance), and clear, dynamic Nritta (pure dance).