Viji Prakash
Encyclopedia
Viji Prakash is an India
n Bharata Natyam dancer, founder of Shakti Dance Company and Shakti School of Bharata Natyam. Viji Prakash has been a pioneer in popularizing the performance and presentation of Bharata Natyam in the USA since 1976. A virtuoso herself in this ancient classical dance form, Viji Prakash is an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and teacher of Bharata Natyam. When Viji moved to Los Angeles in 1976, she brought with her the intense, disciplined, meticulous training that was imparted to her from age 4, by the grand masters of the Tanjavur tradition of Bharata Natyam, her gurus Guru Kalyanasundaram and late Guru Mahalingam Pillai, of the Sri Raja Rajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, Bombay.
Her performances in the US were different and exciting. Audiences in Los Angeles and the rest of the USA were entranced by the beauty, strength, and relevance of traditional Bharata Natyam. Along with her Guru and Musical ensemble, she toured often in the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan, sharing this exquisite (art form) tradition with diverse world audiences. Though Viji's forte has been Bharata Natyam, she has studied and performed Mohini Attam and Kathakali extensively in India under the guidance of Guru Dr. Kanak Rele - Nalanda Maha Vidyalaya, Bombay.
Today in 2010, Viji Prakash the dancer/visionary of the 1970's, is the successful founder & director of the Shakti School of Bharata Natyam. Over the past 32 years she has nurtured, trained and developed hundreds of young children into elegant dancers and provided them with opportunities to perform at various venues both at national and international stage. Being a consummate artist, Viji's disciples were inspired to continue the tradition of this art form by being both professional dancers and teachers in United States after performing their Arangetrams (solo dance debut).
Through her world acclaimed SHAKTI DANCE COMPANY that Viji established in 1985 as the performing platform of the School, Viji has presented innumerable solo and group choreographic works including the Los Angeles Festival's Sons of Kunti at the Wadsworth Theater 1990, the musical Purandharadasa and Meera at the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention Center, 1990 Manifestations of Shakti at the Japan American Theater, 1986, Dance of the Immortals at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion1985 and the National and International tours 1997 to 2007 of the epic productions Shyama, Bhagavad Gita, Prince to Buddha - a journey to enlightenment, Shiva-Shakti, Sant Meera and Tulsi Ramayan. Viji received the "Best Guru" award from the Madras Music Academy, Chennai, India in 2001. A two time recipient of the Brody Choreographic fellowship, the California Arts council award and the Excellence in Arts Award of the Torrance Cultural Arts Commission, Viji has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bharata Natyam at World Arts & Culture, UCLA , since 1999.
Viji Prakash is an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Bharata Natyam dancer, founder of Shakti Dance Company and Shakti School of Bharata Natyam. Viji Prakash has been a pioneer in popularizing the performance and presentation of Bharata Natyam in the USA since 1976. A virtuoso herself in this ancient classical dance form, Viji Prakash is an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and teacher of Bharata Natyam. When Viji moved to Los Angeles in 1976, she brought with her the intense, disciplined, meticulous training that was imparted to her from age 4, by the grand masters of the Tanjavur tradition of Bharata Natyam, her gurus Guru Kalyanasundaram and late Guru Mahalingam Pillai, of the Sri Raja Rajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, Bombay.
Her performances in the US were different and exciting. Audiences in Los Angeles and the rest of the USA were entranced by the beauty, strength, and relevance of traditional Bharata Natyam. Along with her Guru and Musical ensemble, she toured often in the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan, sharing this exquisite (art form) tradition with diverse world audiences. Though Viji's forte has been Bharata Natyam, she has studied and performed Mohini Attam and Kathakali extensively in India under the guidance of Guru Dr. Kanak Rele - Nalanda Maha Vidyalaya, Bombay.
Today in 2010, Viji Prakash the dancer/visionary of the 1970's, is the successful founder & director of the Shakti School of Bharata Natyam. Over the past 32 years she has nurtured, trained and developed hundreds of young children into elegant dancers and provided them with opportunities to perform at various venues both at national and international stage. Being a consummate artist, Viji's disciples were inspired to continue the tradition of this art form by being both professional dancers and teachers in United States after performing their Arangetrams (solo dance debut).
Through her world acclaimed SHAKTI DANCE COMPANY that Viji established in 1985 as the performing platform of the School, Viji has presented innumerable solo and group choreographic works including the Los Angeles Festival's Sons of Kunti at the Wadsworth Theater 1990, the musical Purandharadasa and Meera at the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention Center, 1990 Manifestations of Shakti at the Japan American Theater, 1986, Dance of the Immortals at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion1985 and the National and International tours 1997 to 2007 of the epic productions Shyama, Bhagavad Gita, Prince to Buddha - a journey to enlightenment, Shiva-Shakti, Sant Meera and Tulsi Ramayan. Viji received the "Best Guru" award from the Madras Music Academy, Chennai, India in 2001. A two time recipient of the Brody Choreographic fellowship, the California Arts council award and the Excellence in Arts Award of the Torrance Cultural Arts Commission, Viji has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bharata Natyam at World Arts & Culture, UCLA , since 1999.