Rukmini Vijayakumar was initiated into dance with the study of Bharatanatyam and Ballet at a very young age. She began learning Bharatanatyam under Padmini Rao in the Tanjore tradition of Bharatanatyam. She later continued under Narmada, a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award. She has performed widely across India in prestigious venues such as Khajuraho, Ujjain and Chidambaram. She has also studied and practised the Karanas under the guidance of Guru Sundari Santhanam. Currently, she is pursuing a professional dancer’s MFA programme in Bharatanatyam at the Shastra University, Chennai, under Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam.
Versatile, Rukmini holds a BFA degree from the Boston Conservatory in Ballet and Modern Dance. She has also studied acting at the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles. She is also a certified Power pilates instructor and practices the B.K.S. Iyengar School Hatha Yoga. Her extensive knowledge in Human anatomy and dance pedagogy is incorporated in her teaching curriculum at her dance institute Raadha Kalpa.
This evening at the NCPA, Rukmini presents Shankara Madhava, a collection of choreographed pieces that describe the various ways in which we perceive Shiva, the lord of dance; and Krishna, the cowherd god. We beseech the supreme lord in the form of a loving child, as little Krishna who is naughty and thieving; and in the form of the dancing God, as Shankara who is adorned with ornaments which carry symbolic stories of the values of life; as a lover and friend who you chide and scold; and as the supreme consciousness that you are united with in love.
Supported by Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation in the service of the arts
Admission on a first-come first-served basis
(NCPA members will get preferential seating)
