Prabha Aditya’s School of Performing Arts

Dancer, Choreographer, Artistic Director Rhythm  School Of Arts  (Kathak and Mohiniyattam) ensemble.

Prabha Aditya is a  talented Indian Classical dancer based in Austin , Texas. She maintains an active performing career that spans in India and USA. Prabha has been studying Indian classical dance since the age of 12. She began her training in India, under her teacher Guru Santha Sampath  initially learning  Bharatanatyam and then started learning Mohiniyattam from Smt .Valsala Sasikumar .

Prabha started her journey in Kathak at 2007 in India with late Guru Maya Rao in Bangalore .When Prabha moved to the US in 2009   she continued to learn  under the Kathak Maestro Late Guru Pt.Chitresh Das. She is certified from PRSSV Institute of performing Arts and Heritage, UK (Diploma in Kathak). She did her first own fully sold  production show ‘PARAMPARA’ with eminent local and international artists. Even today Prabha attends   workshops under eminent Guru’s Guru Pali Chandra, Guru Rama Vaidhyanathan ,  Guru Sudeshna Maulik to fine tune and refine her skills further . Her Guru Smt. Valsala Sasikumar carries  legacy in Mohiniyattam tied to her roots under the guidance of Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutty Amma (Mother Of Mohiniyattam).

She has adopted USA as her home since 2009. During this time, she has accomplished performing in dance festivals and live performance like Kerala Thiruvolsavam (Cochin) where she performed a Mohiniyattam Padam about the Cosmic dance Lord Siva, Heritage India Festival (Mohiniyattam Padam in Praise of Lord Krishna),Raleigh International Festival (A Fusion of Classical Kathak , Kuchipudi , Bharatanatyam), HSNC Fund Raiser (Kathak Classical Solo), Rath Yatra in the name of Lord Krishan(Mohiniyattam Padam), Nuvyug India Fest Raleigh and Charlotte (Kathak Classical Solo), Greater Carolina Association on Malala Yousafzai (Classical contemporary on Women empowerment), Durham Council for American Community (Indian Traditional Classical fusion), Sur Aur Taal Orlando (Classical Kathak) and accomplished her dream of successfully managing her own Dance Production ‘Parampara 2019’.

She continues to teach in Leander , Austin  as her hometown and looks forward in establishing an Indian dance ensemble, a collective of talented dancers who are passionate to support this beautiful art form.

Conveying my deep appreciation and respects to my Gurus Late Smt. Maya Rao, Late Guru Pt.Chitresh Das ,Guru Pali Chandra,  Smt Sudeshna Maulik, Smt Valsala K Sasikumar and her daughter Smt. Sowparna Sasikumar for encouraging and allowing me to continue their legacy from the roots of  Kathak and Mohiniyattam.

  

Classes

Kathak

The term Kathak is rooted in the Vedic term Katha (Sanskrit) which means “story, conversation, traditional tale”. Kathak refers to one of the major classical dance form primarily found in northern India.The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means “story”, and Kathakar which means “the one who tells a story”, or “to do with stories”.
Kathak is found in three distinct forms, called “gharanas”, named after the cities where the Kathak dance tradition evolved – Jaipur, Banaras and Lucknow. While the Jaipur gharana focuses more on the foot movements, the Banaras and Lucknow gharanas focus more on facial expressions and graceful hand movements. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells(Ghungroo), and the movement harmonized to the music .The legs and torso are generally straight, and the story is told through a developed vocabulary based on the gestures of arms and upper body movement, facial expressions, stage movements, bends and turns. The main focus of the dance becomes the eyes and the foot movements.

Mohiniyattam

Mohiniyattam, also spelled Mohiniattam is one of the eight classical dances of India that developed and remain popular in the state of Kerala.
Mohiniyattam dance gets its name from the word Mohini – a mythical enchantress avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who helps the good prevail over evil by deploying her feminine powers. Mohiniyattam’s roots, like all classical Indian dances, are in the Natya Shastra – the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text on performance arts. However, it follows the Lasya style described in Natya Shastra, that is a dance which is delicate, eros-filled and feminine. It is traditionally a solo dance performed by women after extensive training. The repertoire of Mohiniyattam includes music in the Carnatic style, singing and acting a play through the dance, where the recitation may be either by a separate vocalist or the dancer herself.
Mohini refers to a “divine enchantress, supreme seductress”.  Aattam is a Malayalam language word, and means rhythmic motion or dance. Mohiniyattam thus connotes “A Dance of an enchantress, a beautiful woman”.