Jump to content

Mayuri Upadhya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mayuri Upadhya
Born30 December 1979 (1979-12-30) (age 46)
Udupi, Karnataka, India
EducationContemporary dance, performing arts
OccupationsDancer, choreographer, entrepreneur, educationist
OrganizationNritarutya
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2019)​
Websitewww.mayuriupadhya.com

Mayuri Upadhya (born 30 December 1979) is an Indian choreographer, dancer, entrepreneur, and TV personality based in Bengaluru, India. She is also the artistic director of the Bengaluru-based dance organisation, Nritarutya.[1]

In January 2018, Mayuri was voted the Best Choreographer by BroadwayWorld, for the longest running musical in Indian history.[2] Mayuri is the winner of the International Choreography Award, Seoul, Uday Shankar Awards for Choreography, and a Manav Ratna for her contribution to Indian arts and culture.

Biography

[edit]

Personal life

[edit]

Mayuri was born in Udupi, Karnataka to Muralidhar Upadhya and Shamala Upadhya on 30 December 1979. She is the youngest of two siblings. Her elder sister Madhuri Upadhya is also a choreographer, and is the Associate Director of Nritarutya.[3]

Mayuri is an alumnus of Sri Vani Education Centre and a graduate from MES College of Arts, Commerce & Science.

Training

[edit]

She trained in Bharatanatyam under Indira Kadambi and Minal Prabhu, and Odissi under Uday Shetty. She has also trained in Kathak under Guru Maya Rao and Jayanthi Eswarputhi, and Kalaripayattu under Ranjan Mullaratt. She also has the Arts Council England’s Artist Management credentials.

Career

[edit]

As a choreographer, she has created contemporary dance productions and contributed to films including Mirzya, as well as stage productions like Mughal-e-Azam, Raunaq and Jassi, and adaptations of Harviansh Rai Bachchan's Madhushala. She has also been involved in cultural initiatives by leading the Teaching for Arts India initiative at Sublime and curating the dance programme for Serendipity Arts Festival in 2019 and 2020.

Her work focuses on presenting and interpreting cultural traditions in contemporary contexts. Mayuri serves as the artistic director of Nritarutya (founded in 2000); a dance organsiation based in Bengaluru.[4]

Artistic director: Nritarutya

[edit]

Adhyaya,[5] is Nritarutya's festival of dance, celebrating innovation and tradition. It programs and showcases works for Bangalore audiences, inviting artists from across the world with works that are a combination of "innovation and tradition". For the first time in 2018, Adhyaya opened its doors to applications from artists the world over seeking an avant-garde platform to perform their works in, receiving 120 entries.[citation needed]

Mayuri's experimental creation initiative Prayog,[6] is a festival that commissions and showcases out-of-the-box Indian dance compositions. All the commissions follow the rule of interpreting mythology in contemporary ways, and is often a mix of designers, musicians, painters, choreographers, dancers, and theatre artists.[citation needed]

She received critical acclaim in 2004 with her work ‘Ardhanarishwara’, which talked about the masculinity and the femininity residing within each of us.[7] Oum, Yantra, Footnote, Dwandwa, are few of her earliest works.[citation needed]

After a commission by the Wadiyar of Mysore to create a piece for their kul-devi (a family deity), Mayuri choreographed the highly acclaimed and successful ‘Kali’ in the year 2008, which talks about the deepest recesses of one's unconsciousness which is wild, raw and untamed.[8]

‘Parched – 1st Cut’, was created for the Serendipity Arts Festival 2016. The scarcity of water, humankind's mistakes and the obscure truth of our future the highlights of this piece.[9] ‘Parched – Choreographer’s Cut’ is a work-in-progress full length production which Mayuri is working on currently.

Other independent work

[edit]

In 2019, Mayuri choreographed the musical Raunaq and Jassi, directed by Feroze Abbas Khan, and produced by Book My Show. It is a Punjabi take on Romeo and Juliet. Her expertise is sought to choreograph on typical Punjabi folk numbers in the musical.[10]

In 2015, Mayuri won the prestigious Uday Shankar Award for Choreography.

The same year, she was commissioned by the Prime Minister of India to create a special dance sequence for the Make In India week in Germany,[11] following which, she was commissioned again to create another piece for the Make In India Week in Mumbai,[12] in 2016. Make In India inaugural dance sequence won the European Event Award for the Best Cultural Performance.

In 2012, she also performed with the Raghu Dixit Project for Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee Celebrations in the UK.[13]

Over the past years, Mayuri has also worked with various fashion designers, like Abu Jaani - Sandeep Khosla,[14] Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi, Anju Modi, Hemant Trivedi, Manish Arora and Wendell Rodricks, and choreographed dance pieces inspired by their fashion lines.[15]

She is also the only choreographer who was invited to create a concept choreography commemorating the martyrs of the 26/11 shooting. It featured megastar Shri Amitabh Bachchan. Event was titled '26/11 - Stories of Strength', a memorial event organised by The Indian Express Group [16][17][18]

Mayuri is one of the judges for the dancing reality shows Dancing Stars Seasons 2 and 3[19] (a BBC production), Master Dancer (a Viacom 18 production on Colors Network) and Dancing Champion (a Lokesh Productions).

[edit]
  • Kalank (Bollywood, Dharma Productions Film) - Creative consultant and concept design for the song ‘Ghar More Pardesiya’
  • Shikara (Bollywood, Vidhu Vinod Chopra Film) - Concept and choreography for the song "Mar Jaye hum"
  • Raunaq and Jassi (musical) [20]
  • Mughal-E-Azam (musical)[21]
  • Dancing Stars Seasons 2 & 3 (Dance Reality show)[22]
  • Master Dancer (Dance Reality Show)
  • Madhushala (musical)[23]
  • Madhur Milan (musical)
  • Make In India Ceremony (Stage creation)
  • Parched (Contemporary work)
  • Pro Kabbadi League (Stage creation)
  • Mirzya (Bollywood)
  • Featured in Teachers Genuine Stories - hosted by Rahul Bose featured an exclusive segment on Mayuri and her journey.[24]
  • Dewarists Season 3 Finale (Musical TV Series)
  • Teaching For Artistic Innovation (Dance in Education Program)
  • Choreographed for Mahashivratri celebrations at IshaCenter (2017)
  • PATA (Stage)[25]
  • Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee Celebration at Windsor Castle (represented Asia)
  • Ijjodu (Kannada film)[26] - Choreography for the movie
  • Thamassu (Kannada Film) - Choreography for the title song "thamassu"
  • Pancharangi (Kannada Film) - Choreography for the song "udisuve"

Television

[edit]
Year Show Channel Notes
2015 Dancing Star 2 ETV Kannada
2016 Dancing Star 3 ETV Kannada
2022 Dancing Champion Colors Kannada

Awards

[edit]
  • Broadway World Award for Best Choreographer for Mughal-E-Azam (2018)
  • Mysore Rotary's women Achiever award - in recognition of her contribution in arts, felicitated by Smt.Gayathri Devi- The queen of Mysore. (2018)
  • "Manav Ratna" award for contribution in the field of Arts and Culture (2013)
  • International Competition for choreography concept, South Korea (2012)[27]
  • RAPA Best Choreographer Award for Television Commercials, Chennai (2005)[28]
  • Young Women's Achievement Award (2004)
  • Uday Shankar Award[29]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Nritarutya – Contemporary Indian Dance Company". nritarutya.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Mughal-e-Azam is great theatre". mid-day. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  3. ^ "In step with each other". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  4. ^ "ನಾಟ್ಯ ಮಯೂರಿ! - ಪ್ರಜಾವಾಣಿ". ಪ್ರಜಾವಾಣಿ (in Kannada). Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Adhyaya – Nritarutya".
  6. ^ "Prayog – Nritarutya".
  7. ^ "Nritarutya: dance composition takes a horizontal slant at Ardha Nareshwar". The Economic Times. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  8. ^ "In Kali's Footsteps". The Indian Express. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Dancing to the rhythm of the Cauvery". oHeraldo. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Review: Feroz Abbas Khan's 'Raunaq & Jassi' soars high on performances, music and story".
  11. ^ "Namma artiste in Namo's honour". Deccan Chronicle. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  12. ^ Nandgaonkar, Satish (14 February 2016). "Maharashtra signs three MoUs worth Rs 21,400 crore on Day One". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Raghu and Mayuri have big plans to impress the Queen of England - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  14. ^ Sangghvi, Malavika (20 August 2012). "An Evening At India Fantastique". Mid Day.
  15. ^ Vijayan, Naveena (16 October 2015). "Amrapali's silver linings jewelbook". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  16. ^ "26/11 Stories of Strength".
  17. ^ "26/11 Stories of Strength: A memorial to mark 11th anniversary of Mumbai attacks". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020.
  18. ^ "26/11 Stories of Strength". 26 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Details". vijaykarnatakaepaper.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Raunaq and Jassi - A Playful Mélange of Drama and Music in this Beautifully Presented Hindi Play".
  21. ^ "Reinventing the wheel in art". asianage.com/. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Mayuri Upadhya to shake a leg on Dancing Star - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Interview - Mayuri Upadhya: A big milestone for Nritarutya - Lalitha Venkat". narthaki.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Viu | No Service".
  25. ^ "Wizcraft executes the opening ceremony of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) 2015". EVENTFAQS Media. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  26. ^ Mangalore, Mangalore Today. "Mangalore Today | Mangalore, Udupi News and information updated Every hour, Every day". mangaloretoday.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  27. ^ "The vision of a choreographer". Deccan Herald. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  28. ^ R, Shilpa Sebastian (12 January 2012). "Naache Mayuri". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Report - Attendance Annual Awards 2015". narthaki.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mayuri_Upadhya&oldid=1358369657"