Project Description
Kiruthika Rathanaswami is a Indian classical dancer in the Bharata Natyam style. She has been training for the past sixteen years under Jai Govinda, artistic director of Mandala Arts and Culture in Vancouver, Canada. She has also trained under renowned Gurus B. Bhanumati and Sheela Chandrasekhar of Nrityakalamandiram in Bangalore, India.
From a very young age Kiruthika has been active individual through regular participation in sports and physical activity. She has always had a passion for sports and represented her school in many competitions. Her interest for the performing arts began early as well with filmy and folk dance performances for various cultural events around the city. Her father was the one that initiated her into the classical dance form of bharata natyam, after witnessing a stellar performance of Jai Govinda for the Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia. She began her formal training in Bharata Natyam at the age of 9 with Jai Govinda. Right from the beginning her love for the art form kept her wanting to learn and perfect her movements. After a number of years and with the guidance of Jai Govinda she had the opportunity to complete her arangetram (dance graduation) in 2004 at the Jai Govinda Dance Academy. It was after this performance she realized how much hard work and dedication goes into performing this art form. This experience made her devote more time in practicing and learning the finer details of how to be a good performer.
Since 2004 she has been a part of many professional Mandala productions as a soloist and group such as the “Temptation of Buddha” in 2006 and “The Monk and Courtesan” in 2009. Some of her notable performances include dancing for the former Honourable Governor General of Canada Mrs. Michaelle Jean during her visit to Vancouver and performing at the 2010 Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa. She was also featured as the lead dancer for a Documentary “Great Night of Shiva-Mahasivarati” which was broadcast on VISION TV Canada in February 2011. In 2010 she travelled to Bangalore, India on the “Shastri India Studies Arts Fellowship” by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute for 7 months and trained under Gurus B. Bhanumati and Sheela Chandrasekhar of Nrityakalamandiram in Bangalore, India. She presented her new repertoire at Mandala Arts and Culture’s annual Festival “Gait to the Spirit” in 2011 in Vancouver. Kiruthika is the recipient of the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Award for “Emerging Artist” in Dance from the city of Vancouver.
