Maya Rao facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maya Rao
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| Born | 2 May 1928 Malleswaram, Bangalore
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| Died | 1 September 2014 (aged 86) Bangalore
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| Occupation | Kathak guru, dancer, choreographer Founder Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC, 1987) |
| Years active | 1945– 2014 |
| Current group | Natya and Stem Dance Kampani |
| Dances | Kathak |
Maya Rao (born May 2, 1928 – died September 1, 2014) was a famous Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She was a master of Kathak dance, a beautiful dance style from North India.
Maya Rao is especially known for her amazing work in Kathak choreography, which means creating dance routines. She was a pioneer in making dance ballets, which are stories told through dance. She also helped bring Kathak, a North Indian dance form, to South India. She did this by opening her dance school, the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC), in Malleswaram, Bangalore in 1987.
She also founded a dance company called "Natya and Stem Dance Kampni" in Bangalore. This company combined her institute with her daughter Madhu Nataraj's STEM Dance Kampni. Maya Rao learned Kathak from many great teachers. These included Guru Sohanlal and Guru Sunder Prasad from the Jaipur Gharana (a style of Kathak). Later, she trained under Guru Shambhu Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana at the National Institute of Kathak Dance in Delhi.
She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1989. This is a very important award given by India's National Academy for Music, Dance, and Drama. In 2011, she received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna. This special award was given to 100 artists across India to celebrate the 150th birthday of Rabindranath Tagore. It recognized her great contributions to performing arts.
Early Life and Dance Journey
Maya Rao was born in Malleswaram, Bangalore, into a traditional family. Her father, Hattangadi Sanjeev Rao, was a well-known architect. She had three brothers and three sisters. When she was young, she learned Hindustani classical music. She also played the dilruba, a musical instrument.
At that time, it was not common for girls from traditional families to learn dance. It was sometimes seen as not proper. But this changed when Maya was 12 years old. She and her father watched a performance by the famous dancer Uday Shankar's group in Bangalore. Her father was so impressed that he wanted his daughters to learn dance.
Her first dance teacher was Pandit Ramarao Naik. He ran a music and dance school in Bangalore. Sohan Lal, a Kathak teacher from the Jaipur Gharana, taught Kathak there. Maya's younger sisters started learning Kathak first. Maya, at age twelve, was thought to be too old for Kathak.
However, her father finally allowed her to start Kathak training in 1942. She promised not to dance professionally or on stage. But she soon broke this promise! She learned from Guru Sohanlal for two years. When she gave her first performance in 1944 at the Bangalore Town Hall, her father did not object.
After finishing school, she studied English literature at Central College, Bangalore in 1945. She later went to Maharani's College. There, she started a dance club and put on dance-dramas. Her first big performance was a ballet called "Sita Haran" in 1947. She performed it to help poor students at her college.
Her family faced financial difficulties after her father passed away in 1946. Maya, at just 17, started teaching dance to help support her family.
A Career in Kathak
In 1951, Maya Rao moved to Jaipur to continue her Kathak studies. She also taught English at the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School for two years. She then traveled to Sri Lanka to learn Kandyan dance from the famous dancer Chitrasena.
In 1955, she received a special scholarship from the Government of India. This allowed her to train under the renowned Guru Shambhu Maharaj in New Delhi. She was the very first student at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Guru Shambhu Maharaj's first student there. She was the only student he ever danced with!
In 1960, she received another scholarship to study choreography in Russia. When she returned from Russia in 1964, she started the Natya Institute of Choreography in Delhi. She had help from Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, a key figure in Indian arts.
Later, she moved her institute, NIKC, to Bangalore in 1987. She was invited by the Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde. Maya Rao was known for her abhinaya (expressive dance). She created many famous dance ballets. Some of these include "Venkateshwara Vilasam," "Kathak through the Ages," "Ramayana Darshanam," and "Urubhanga" by Bhāsa. She also created works based on writings by Masti Venkatesha Iyengar and Kuvempu.
She became the head of the Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy from 1987 to 1990. During this time, she started National Performing Arts Festivals. These festivals were held at historic places like Somanathapura, Pattadakal, and Halebidu.
Maya Rao received many awards for her contributions to dance. She got the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative Dance/Choreography in 1989. She also received the Rajyotsava Award in 1986, which is a high honor from the state of Karnataka. In 1999, she received the Shantala Award from the Government of Karnataka. In 2013, she received the 'Tagore Ratna' award and a lifetime achievement award for her work in dance.
Over the years, she taught Kathak to more than 3,000 students. Some of her notable students include Nirupama Rajendra, Syed Sallauddin Pasha, and Nandini Mehta.
Her daughter, Madhu Nataraj, is also a talented dancer and choreographer. Madhu started STEM Kampni, which is part of NIKC. Maya Rao continued to work as a choreographer at her institute until her last days. Her autobiography, Maya Rao – A Lifetime in Choreography, was released in 2014. The famous writer Girish Karnad launched her book.
Maya Rao passed away on September 1, 2014, in Bangalore, after a heart attack. She left behind her sisters and her daughter, Madhu Nataraj.
Awards and Honors
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1989
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna 2011
- Shantala Natya Sri Award 1999
