Faculty

Rajashri Praharaj is an accomplished artiste of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra gharana of Odissi. She has been dancing since an early age. Her formal training in Srjan (Odissi Nrityabasa) as a resident student under the able tutelage of her Guru Shri Ratikant Mohapatra, helped her to master the art and technique of Odissi dance. Rajashri has imbibed within herself the essence of this style with purity and perfection. Her dance has the excellent blend of sensuous movement and graceful footwork with absolute control of laya.

She has performed widely as a soloist in India, and internationally at Bangkok, Malaysia and USA. She has also traveled with the repertory group of Srjan and attended the Master’s course in Summer Workshop 2002 and 2003 conducted by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. A versatile dancer with immense potential, Rajashri charms the audience with immaculate grace and an attractive stage presence.

She has participated in Kal-ke-Kalakar of Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai and won the “Sringaramani” title. In the year 2004, the Ministry of Culture, Govt.of India, has awarded her the National scholarship in Odissi dance. For the Deepavali Festival 2007 she was honoured by an invitation to perform at Vedic Heritage, New York by Her Holiness Guruma Smt. Jyotishanand Saraswati in Pt. Jasraj Auditorium. She has been awarded “Nalanda Nrutya Nipuna 2008” for her outstanding performance in Odissi dance at Mumbai Festival in 2007.

Of Rajasri’s performance in Odissi Dance Festival, organized by Orissa Sangeet Natak Academy - the New Indian Express in one of its reviews writes that – Rajashri’s technical perfection combined with feminine grace gave glimpses of her bright future as a promising dancer with distinct signature of the Kelucharan ‘Gharana’.