Director of Three Aksha School of Performing Arts, Viji Rao is a dancer trained in Bharatanatyam, a classical South Indian dance form marked by expressive hand gestures and elaborate rhythmic patterns. In 2012, with Center support, Rao developed a series of solo works that expanded upon her artistic roots in South Indian dance in collaboration with Hari Krishnan, artistic director of INDANCE, Toronto, who specializes in experimental exploration of Bharatanatyam traditions; C.V. Chandrasekhar, one of India's most highly regarded Bharatanatyam practitioners who creates choreography within the canon of traditional vocabulary; and Delhi's Santosh Nair, who will creates contemporary works based in the generations-old martial art form of Chhau.
