IPAC 2024: DWITA

Dakshina Vaidyanathan is passion for dance personified. The young talent comes from a family of eminent bharatanatyam dancers. She has undergone rigorous training at Ganesa Natyalaya under the tutelage of her grandmother Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan and her mother Rama Vaidyanathan. Dakshina teaches bharatanatyam and has choreographed several dance productions at Ganesa Natyalaya. She has conceived and directed numerous groups as well as solo productions. Dakshina has a style that amalgamates the delicacies of bharatnatyam with the intricacies of modern-day issues. She believes in the power of dance for spreading awareness towards social issues. Dakshina has travelled to UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA and all over India for various performance tours. She is also an empanelled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Dakshina is the Honorary President of SARVAM – a Non-governmental Organisation that teaches dance to the socially and economically backward as well as the mentally and physically challenged.

Dakshina is currently considered one of the brightest stars among the younger generation of bharatanatyam dancers.

A world-renowned dancer, Shrimati Rama Vaidyanathan received her initial training in bharatanatyam under Shrimati Yamini Krishnamurthy. and later became a student of Saroja Vaidyanathan. She has also trained in Carnatic music under Guru Mahalingam and Guru Ramamurthy.

She has performed extensively in national and international dance festivals such as Rajgir Mahotsav, Soorya festival, Konark festival, Khajuraho festival, and events organised by prestigious institutions like Sangeet Natak Akademi, Music Academy, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Zonal centres and State academies. She is presently rendering her services as Director of the Ganesa Natyalaya in Delhi. She is a recipient of several awards and honours including the Kalaimamani conferred by the Government of Tamil Nadu (2011), the Kalashree by the Government of Kerala (2013), the Kumar Gandhary Puraskar by the Government of Madhya Pradesh (2015), the Nritya Choodamani conferred by the Krishna Gana Sabha (2017) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2017) for her contributions to bharatanatyam.