Priyashri Rao

🪔 About

Dr. Priyashri V. Rao is a distinguished Bharatanatyam practitioner, scholar, and educator, with a career spanning over two decades. She received her training at the world-renowned Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, where she earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Bharatanatyam with First Class honors. During her time at Kalakshetra, she actively participated in numerous dance presentations and dance-dramas, performing both within India and internationally. Dr. Rao is also a recipient of the HRD Ministry scholarship for advanced learning at Kalakshetra. Beyond her performance career, Dr. Priyashri V. Rao is a prolific academic. She holds a doctorate from the Department of Indian Music, University of Madras, completing her PhD in 2004. Her MPhil research, undertaken at JAIN University between 2014 and 2015, focused on the Haridasa composers of Karnataka and their devotional compositions interpreted for dance. She has contributed articles to various journals and magazines and authored a thesis titled "Analysis of a Bharatanatyam Composition." As an educator, she has served as a course coordinator and guest faculty for the M.A. Bharatanatyam program and as faculty for the B.A. Indian Music correspondence classes at the Department of Indian Music, University of Madras. She has also guided numerous MA dissertations and doctoral research scholars. Dr. Rao is also a Carnatic vocalist, having honed her skills under Smt. Mangalam Shankar, and provides vocal support for concerts in addition to her solo performances. She is a Nattuvanar, offering vocal accompaniment for Bharatanatyam performances. Her creative contributions include composing multiple Jatisvarams, Pushpanjalis, and Tillanas, and independently choreographing several Bharatanatyam repertoire items, notably a Sabdam in praise of the Haridasa saints. Awards & Honours: HRD Ministry scholarship for advanced learning at Kalakshetra.