Maya Rao

🪔 About

Maya Rao (1928-2014) was a legendary Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and educator, renowned for her pioneering contributions to Kathak dance, particularly in choreography and dance ballets. Born in Malleswaram, Bangalore, she initially learned Hindustani classical music before being inspired by Uday Shankar's performance to pursue dance at the age of twelve. She began her Kathak training in 1942 under Guru Sohanlal of the Jaipur Gharana, followed by Guru Sunder Prasad. In 1951, she moved to Jaipur to continue her Kathak studies and also taught English. She further explored Kandyan dance in Sri Lanka with Chitrasena in 1953. A pivotal moment in her career came in 1955 when she received a Government of India scholarship to train under the esteemed Guru Shambhu Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra (later Kathak Kendra) in New Delhi, becoming his first student there. She was also the first Indian woman to receive a USSR Cultural Scholarship in Choreography, obtaining a postgraduate certificate in choreography from the former Soviet Union. Upon her return to India in 1964, Maya Rao established the Natya Institute of Choreography in New Delhi, which later moved to Bangalore in 1987 and was renamed the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC). NIKC became India's first and only college offering a degree in choreography, affiliated with Bangalore University. She is widely credited with bringing the North Indian dance style of Kathak to South India through her institution and extensive teaching. Maya Rao served as the chairperson of the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy from 1987 to 1990, initiating national performing arts festivals at heritage sites. She also founded "Natya and Stem Dance Kampni," a dance company that combined NIKC with her daughter Madhu Nataraj's STEM Dance Kampni. Over her lifetime, she trained over 3,000 students. Her autobiography, "Maya Rao – A Lifetime in Choreography," was released in 2014. Maya Rao passed away on September 1, 2014, in Bangalore. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1989), Rajyotsava Award (1986), Shantala Natya Sri Award (1999), Keremane Award (2004), Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna (2011), World arts festival, Helsinki's Gold medal for excellence in Kathak (1962), Emeritus Fellowship for Eminence in Dance from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India (1999), Karnataka State Sangeet Nritya Academy Award for dance (1968), Delhi State Sahitya Kala Parishat Award (1985), Distinguished Konkani Award from the T.M.A. Pai Foundation, Manipal (1993), Nritya Vilas from Sursingar Samsad, Mumbai (1977), Natya Kalaratna from Gayana Samaj (2003), Honorary Doctorate from the Bangalore University (2006), Attendance Award (2012), Doordarshan / Chandana Award (2012).