Shweta Prachande is one of the foremost dancers in the new generation of Bharatanatyam artistes. The expert guidance and mentorship of her Guru, world renowned dancer and choreographer Priyadarsini Govind has helped Shweta understand and appreciate the importance of nuance and aesthetics in dance. This has given her an overall understanding of other disciplines that have contributed immeasurably to the dancer she is today. Her early training under yet another renowned dancer, Dr. Sucheta Chapekar, gave her the foundation to build and grow her dance.
Her passion for dance led her to expand her dance vocabulary through the program in Dance Studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London, UK. This combined with an MFA in Bharatanatyam have provided her with added insights and perspectives on her dance. She has married this dedication and artistry with training in Yoga and the martial art form, Kalaripayattu.
All of this, together with her continuous engagement with celebrated scholars and practitioners of art, have informed her dance and who she is as a dancer.
Awards & Accolades
‘National Bal Shree Honour’ by H.E. President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhavan
‘District Youth Award’ by Nehru Yuva Kendra from Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of India
‘Indian Delegate’ nominated by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. Of India to represent the country during Commonwealth Day Celebrations at Male, Maldives
‘Indian Delegate’ to participate in the ‘International Classical and Folk Music Dance Festival’ at Kyrgyzstan
Fellowship by Kalavaahini, a trust founded and headed by celebrated dancer Malavika Sarukkai
‘Sri T.S. Parthasarathy Award’ by Music Academy Madras
‘Lakshmi Viswanathan Endowment Prize’ for Abhinaya by Krishna Gana Sabha
‘Singar Mani’ by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai
‘Pratibha Puraskar’ from Govt. of Karnataka’s Department of Culture
‘Natya Ratna’ by Trinity Fine Arts, Chennai
Performance Highlights
2017-2019: Tour of performances in the United States
2019: Performances for the Soorya India Festival in UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Doha and Bahrain Performances 2018: Summer Mela Festival in Rome, Italy.
2018: Performance and workshops for Association Gamaka in Venice and Association Jaya in Bologna 2018 • Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS)–Performance for the Srinivasa Perumal Temple
2018: Performance for World Dance Day Celebrations at the India International Center
2017: Performance in Kuwait for Shrishti Dance Academy at the Indian Embassy in Kuwait
2017: Performances at Sacramento and Seattle
2013: Performances in Sweden
2013/16 &20: The Music Academy, Madras
In collaboration with her mentor, Priyadarsini Govind, and produced by Kalakriya, Shweta had the privilege of performing in a collection of DVDs that focused on various aspects of dance.
Collaborated with Carnatic musician Rithvik Raja to present two editions of Samvaada, virtual conversations through dance and music, for the Colorado Fine Arts Association and Ananya in Bangalore, India
Partnered with Rithvik and other musicians to present #wfh, an exploration of the process of virtual creation and collaboration amidst the global lockdown
For the magnum opus production titled ‘Angkor’ which was conceived and choreographed by Guru Smt. Priyadarsini Govind and produced by Apsara Arts, Shweta worked with dancers in Singapore and played a role in the production
Worked with Krithika Shurajith and Sarveshan Kumar for a special presentation on compositions of Poet Subramania Bharathi.
Comments