Shovana Narayan

Shovana Narayan - Biography

Shovana Narayan - Contributions

Shovana Narayan is a Kathak Maestro and an outstanding dancer. She is an incarnation of the great artistic and social traditions of India. She created a new and innovative style of performing arts by enriching it with a deeper and wider canvas of expression and dimensions. She has been awarded with Padmashri in 1992 and Sangeet Natak Academy Awards in 1999.

Shovana Narayan - Life

Shovana Narayan established herself as a dancer during 1970s and the last four decades have seen her captivating audiences in numerous dance festivals. Trained by legendary Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj and Kundanlal Gangani at Kathak Kendra, Delhi, Shovana Narayan is known for her strong urge for experimentation. She has set a unique trend by redefining dance and often considered as a living legend in the field of art. Narayan is the first ever professional dancer who combines a full fledged career as a senior serving civil servant in the Government of India.

Shovana Narayan has also worked with many western dancers and musicians. Some of her choreographic works like "Moonlight Impressionism" and "The Dawn After" have been successful in bringing out the true color of different dance and musical forms.

Shovana Narayan is an alumnus of Miranda House, Delhi University. She is married to Dr. Herbert Traxl, former Austrian Ambassador to India. Shovana Narayan was the first dancer to work on philosophical themes and on the lives of contemporary sages such as Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, Ramkrishna Paramhansa and Mahatma Gandhi. She is also the first dancer to have rejuvenated the soliloquy tradition, the narrative tradition of the North-Indian dance form in "Shakuntala".

Shovana Narayan - Author

The noted Kathak dancer has written around ten books on the subject of dance. Shovana Narayan also organizes two festivals for providing a platform to the young, unknown and talented faces of the field. Some of her well-known books are:

1. "Indian Classical Dances"
2. "Performing Arts in India: A Policy Perspective"
3. "Indian Theatre and Dance Traditions"
4. "Kathak: Rhythmic Echoes & Reflections"
5. "The Dance Legacy of Patliputra"
6. "Sterling Book of Indian Classical Dances"
7. "Folk Dance Traditions of India"

Shovana Narayan - Awards

Shovana Narayan has been conferred with numerous awards including the Padmashri Award for excellence and outstanding contribution to dance in 1992 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1999. Besides, she has also been awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar, Indira Priyadarshini Samman, and Rotary International Award and Japan's Oisca Award.