Smitha Madhav is a notable Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic Classical Singer. She has successfully established a foothold in Chennai in the dual role of a vocalist and dancer. She has performed in various parts of India as well as foreign countries. Her contribution in the field of art and culture is noteworthy. She also appears in various films and television programmes. She is the recipient of various awards like Balachaitanya Award, Ugadi Purashkar Award and Guru Sishya Parampara Award, just to name a handful.
Early Life of Smitha Madhav
She hails from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. She started learning Carnatic vocal music at the age of four. She gave her first public performance in 1994. She honed her Bharatanatyam skills under the patronage of Guru Nritya Choodamani Smt Rajeswari Sainath, the director of Sruthi Laya Kendra Natarajaalaya. She completed a Diploma program with distinction in Music and Dance from the Telugu University. Presently, she is pursuing the Masters` Program in Dance from the Indirakala Sangeet Vishwa Vidyalaya and the Masters` programme in Music from the Madras University. She is also receiving advanced training in Carnatic Classical music from the famous Hyderabad Sisters namely Ms Lalitha and Ms Haripriya.
Dance and Music Career of Smitha Madhav
Smitha has performed in various parts of the world including United States of America, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. She has also performed in various major sabhas throughout the country. Smitha is known for choreographing on her own. Some of her major works include Raagam Raaghavam which is a solo thematic Bharatanatyam presentation based on various renditions of the Ramayana; Navasandhi which is a dance tribute to the Dikpalas; Sri Venkata Gireesham Bhaje which is a multi-lingual solo choreographic work that traces the pilgrims progress from Tirupati to Tirumala and Kesadi Paadam which is a work using pure dance, instrumentation and Aahaarya to narrate various hitherto unheard stories from the life of Lord Krishna.
Film and Television Career of Smitha Madhav
Smitha essayed the lead role of Seetha in the Gunasekhar directed feature film Bala Ramayanam (1996) which won the National award. She appeared in a bi-lingual (Bengali and Telugu) art film Prithvi directed by Sisir Sahana. The film saw her enacting the female lead.
Apart from this, she has anchored various shows in multiple languages. She has hosted several episodes of the Gemini TV show Jayam Manade and a year-long season of Annamayya Sankeerthanarchana which is a Carnatic music show. She coordinated and presented Vijay TV`s Sangeetha Sangamam which showcased budding Carnatic musicians. She also worked in Krishna Vijayam on Vijay TV where she presented a series of classical numbers.
Social Work by Smitha Madhav
In order to raise funds for Vegesna Foundation, she rendered nearly 30 recitals and lecture demonstrations across the United States. It"s a non-profit organisation which works for differently-abled children.
Achievements of Smitha Madhav
She was honoured with various awards and accolades for her performances. Some of her achievements are as follows-
•She recived Balachaitanya Award for outstanding performance in Bharatanatyam by Aradhana Cultural Association.
•She was honoured with Ugadi Purashkar Award by the Madras Telugu Academy, Chennai.
•She was honoured with Guru Sishya Parampara Award by Vamsee Art Theatres and Raga Sapthaswara.
•She was honoured with Kala Shravanthi Award by Annamacharya Vignana Peetham, Cudappah.
•She earned Gold medal in the Inter-University music competition conducted by the TTD.
•She is the recipient of Women Achievers Award.
•She is also the recipient of Yuva Kala Bharathi Award.
•She was also honoured with Natya Bhairavi Award.
•She is the Cultural Ambassador for San Antonio - Chennai Sister City Alliance.
