Sharmila Rao has a grace and youthful freshness and carefreeness that is contagious. Her natural talent makes her dancing light and playful. Sharmila Rao, dedicated to the ideals of her mentors, lives and teaches Indian art with complete devotion.
Origin and career
Sharmila Rao is the daughter of Smt. Vijaya Rao and Anton Tönz, the founders and directors of Nateschwara. At the early age of five, Guru Shri Pathagudi S. Ramaswamy introduced her to classical Indian dance. Her further training in Bharata Natyam was given to Sharmila Rao by her mother, Smt.Vijaya Rao, a famous exponent of this art.
From the age of 8 she received lessons in Carnatic music from Shri B. Raghuram, later from Shri N. Purushothaman and his student Smt. Shantha Balasubramanian. In addition, she learned the Indian instrument Veena from Smt. Jayashree Aravind and Shri A. Shankar Raman. Sharmila Rao also studied classical western music in flute and piano, the latter for more than ten years under the pedagogue Jacobus Baumann.
In 1992, Sharmila Rao completed her basic education in Indian dance with her stage debut (Arangetram). Thereafter, she continued to educate herself and in the course of this further training began to train as a teacher and stage accompanist for classical Indian dance. In 2010 she completed this teacher training with a diploma.
Parallel to her artistic education, she attended the Kantonsschule Wettingen and completed her high school diploma in modern European languages. Afterwards, Sharmila Rao studied at the University of Zurich and successfully completed her studies in Indology, Ethnology and Educational Psychology in 2008 with a licentiate.
Career
Since her stage debut, Sharmila is an active artist and can look back on many years of stage experience. She has given numerous solo and dance theater performances to national and international audiences in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Austria, France and India.
Lead actress in the Bharata Natyam plays „Alaghar Kuravanji“ and „Om Namah Shivaya“, choreographed by Guru Sri Pathagudi S. Ramaswamy.
With the dance theaters „Savitri“, „Abhijnana Shakuntalam“, „Jesus of Nazareth“ and „Divya Darshanam“, choreographed and directed by Vijaya Rao, she has been touring her mother’s side across Europe since 1994.
In 2010 she celebrated with the Nateschwara Dance Company in the production „Jaya Ganesha“
Awards
Sharmila Rao received the title „Natyamayuri“ (Dancing Peacock) in Chennai in 1999 as a promising young artist and for her outstanding Bharata Natyam performance. In January 2009, she was awarded the title „Natyakala Sudarshini“ (Outstanding Beauty of Dance) by Karnataka Kalashree BK Chandramouli in Bangalore, on behalf of Shri Mukambika Talavadya Sangeeta Kalashale. At the same time, she was honored by Ganakalashree Mridanga Vidwan C. Chaluvaraju with a Dedication Excellency Award for her dedication to Indian art and culture.
- Natyamayuri“ (Dancing Peacock) in Chennai in 1999
- „Natyakala Sudarshini“ (Outstanding Beauty of Dance) by Karnataka Kalashree BK Chandramouli in Bangalore, on behalf of Shri Mukambika Talavadya Sangeeta Kalashale.
- Dedication Excellency Award by Ganakalashree Mridanga Vidwan C. Chaluvaraju
Recent Activity
At the moment, Sharmila Rao is completing her doctoral thesis in Indology on „The Modern Reception of Purandara Dasa’s Compositions.“ In addition, she works as an independent dancer.
