Viji Rao

Saha, an Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam presentation

Solo Forest
4:45–5:45 pm
Main Entrance, outside

Viji Rao has over two decades of experience as a Bharatanatyam dance artist, choreographer, and teacher. Her Bharatanatyam choreographies have been called a “technical tour de force,” and she has been “hailed as a “theatrical visionary” (Philadelphia Inquirer). During her 11 years as a professional dancer and choreographer based in the UK, she worked with leading dance companies. Since 2002, Rao has been based in Philadelphia, where she founded and serves as the artistic director of Three Aksha, an Indian dance company dedicated to preserving and promoting Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form, as well as the ancient and rich Indian heritage. She performs both internationally and here in the US, where her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Knight Foundation, The Leeway Foundation, Dance Advance, the Philadelphia Folklore Project, PPA, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Samuel S Fels Fund, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Photo: Indus Photography