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THE ARTS
DR. MAYA RAO (1928): As a teenager, Dr. Maya Rao, rebelled against social convention and gave her debut Kathak performance at the Puttana Chetty Town Hall in Bangalore before moving on to carve out a remarkable international career as a dancer and choreographer. She returned to Bangalore in the 1980s and established the Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography, the country’s first college of choreography. Dr. Rao pioneered national performing arts festivals in Karnataka’s heritage sites and is a recipient of several national and state awards, including the ‘Shantala Prashasti’.
Karnataka – A Cultural Odyssey
US KRISHNA RAO (1912-2005) & CHANDRABHAGA DEVI (1921-1997): The first couple of classical dance in Karnataka, US Krishna Rao and his wife Chandrabhaga Devi overcame social ostracism to pursue their passion for Bharatanatyam. Honoured with the ‘Shantala’ award, US Krishna Rao choreographed spectacular dance-dramas and wrote several influential books on the art of dance. He and his wife also understood the importance of educating others about classical dance and took it upon themselves to teach hundreds of students who would take the tradition forward.
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