SHALAKHA
Graceful and sensitive, Shalakha Rai is an emerging
talent in the field of Indian classical dance. Born in 1990, Shalakha has been learning Odissi under Guru Madhavi Mudgal since 2001 and completed Visharad Purna (equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree) from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai. She has performed on numerous occasions as part of her guru’s troupe both in India and abroad and is a promising soloist.
A post graduate in Political Science from the University of Delhi, Shalakha also teaches Odissi at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi. She has been a recipient of the scholarship instituted by the Sahitya Kala Parishad, and is an empanelled artiste of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Doordarshan.
Some of her distinguished performances have been at the ceremonial reception of the American President, Mr. Barack Obama, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan; at the Mukteswar Festival, Bhubaneswar (duet); and solo recitals at the Festival of Young Dancers and Musicians organised by the Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi, the Navarasa Festival, Dehradun and at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
She has participated in the following international festivals:
USA:
New York City Center, Fall for Dance, 2010 Shakespeare Theatre, Washington DC, 2013 National Heritage Museum, Lexington, 2013 J.F. Kennedy Centre, Washington DC, 2015
Colombia:
XIII Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, 2012
France:
Lyon, Le Nuits de Foviere, 2010Vaison la Romaine, Festival International de danse, 2010Aix en Provence, International Dance Festival, 2011
Belgium:
Brugge, International Dance Festival, 2011Bozar, 2016
Germany:
Hannover Messe, 2015Spain: India en Concierto, Madrid, Spain, 2016
England:
Bal Bharti Vidya Bhawan, London, 2016 The Bedford Odissi Summer Workshop, 2017
Scotland:
An Odissi Evening, Edinburgh, 2016Nepal: Indian Cultural Centre, 2012
Her appearances within India include the following:
International Odissi Festival, Bhubaneswar, 2008, 2013
Ananya Festival, Purana Qila, New Delhi, 2009
Delhi International Arts Festival, 2010
Music Academy, Chennai, 2010
Bhatkhande Jayanti Samaroh, Lucknow, 2010 NCPA Dance Festival, Mumbai, 2011
Karthik Fine Arts, Chennai, 2011
Konark Dance Festival, 2011
IIC Experience, Delhi, 2011
National Festival of Odissi Dance, Bhubaneswar, 2011 Khajuraho Dance Festival, 2012
Sharangdev Dance Festival, Aurangabad, 2012
Sirpur Festival, 2012
Kala Ghoda Festival, Mumbai, 2012
Youth Festival, Delhi, 2013
Dilli Day, 2013
Indradhanush Dance Festival, 2013
Navarasa, Dehradun, 2014
Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, 2015
The Galaxy Education System, Rajkot, 2015
Dance Festival, Ahmedabad, 2015
PATA Inauguration Ceremony, Bengaluru, 2015
Old Fort Dance Festival, New Delhi, 2015 International Odissi Dance Festival, Orissa, 2015 Kumbhalgarh Dance Festival, 2016
Sharangdev Dance Festival, New Delhi, 2016
NCPA Dance Festival, Mumbai, 2016
Konark Dance Festival, 2016
Ganga Mahotsav, Varanasi, 2017
Vividha, XXVII Film Congress, New Delhi, 2017
23rd CAG Conference, New Delhi, 2017
Conference of Governors, Rashtrapati Bhavan, 2017. Rasaja Foundation Festival, 2017
First PIO Parliamentarian Conference, Delhi, 2018.
Commemorative Function (ICCR), Assam, 2018. Debadhara Guru Shishya Samman, New Delhi 2018.