SMITHA MADHAV

CARNATIC CLASSICAL VOCALIST AND BHARATA NATYAM DANCER

Smitha Madhav began learning Carnatic vocal music at the age of 4 and gave her first public performance in 1994. Smitha is gifted with a powerful and melodious voice and a wide vocal range that is the result of several years of training and practice. She currently receives advanced training from the Hyderabad Sisters - Ms Lalitha & Ms Haripriya.

Smitha has been trained in Bharatantyam by Guru Nritya Choodamani Smt Rajeswari Sainath, the director of Sruthi Laya Kendra Natarajaalaya founded by Mrudangam maestro Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani.

Smitha regularly gives music and dance recitals at the December Festival in Chennai and has also performed for audiences at a number of other centres in India and abroad. In addition to being trained as a performer by her distinguished Gurus, Smitha has also sought to acquire a strong theoretical foundation in Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic Music. She has completed the six six-year Diploma programmes in Music and Dance from the Telugu University with distinction. She is currently pursuing the Masters' Programme in Dance from the Indirakala Sangeet Vishwa Vidyalaya and the Masters' programme in Music from the Madras University.

Smitha played the lead role of Seetha in the feature film Ramayanam produced by Shri M.S. Reddy and directed by Shri Gunasekhar. Unique in that its entire cast comprised children between 10 and 12 years of age, the film went on to win the National award. More recently, Smitha played the female lead in Prithvi, a bi-lingual (Bengali and Telugu) art film directed by Sisir Sahana. Smitha has also anchored several episodes of the TV programme 'Jayam Manade' produced and telecast by Gemini TV.

Smitha has maintained an outstanding scholastic record through school and college. She is currently a final year student of PRR College of Law of the Osmania University. Consistently placed at the top of her class, she has received the Prathiba scholarship from the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the last 5 years in a row.

Smitha has found that her twin pursuits of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music have complemented each other greatly. She seeks to excel as a dancer and as a singer by drawing on a variety of cultural influences and marrying them to the elaborate traditions that are at the heart of Indian classical music and dance. An extremely supportive family helps Smitha work towards her cherished goals.