User Profile

Founder/Director, STEM Dance Kampni

Madhu dons many hats with grace and dynamism. Often called an intersectionist, she believes in the cross illumination between various fields and thought processes, fueling her vision to inhabit the public domain through the potent medium of Dance. Inclusivity, education, healing, pedagogy, social issues, empowerment, sustainable development and more form a powerful undercurrent in all her interactions. A graduate of Commerce, Journalism and Choreography, she trained in the classical form of Kathak under the tutelage of her mother, the legendary Guru - Dr Maya Rao and with Guru Chitra Venugopal. She studied Contemporary dance in New York and returned to India with a vision to create a unique company –The STEM (Space.Time.Energy.Movement) Dance Kampni- comprising 3 verticals of training, performance and outreach. ‘India Today’ chose Madhu as one among India’s 50 Young Achievers. She also received the ‘Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar’ from the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, Government of India, Woman Achiever Award from FICCI( Federation Of Indian Chambers Of Commerce & Industry) FLO, to mention a few of her accolades. Madhu has performed in 36 countries out of the 51 she has traveled to. She anchors herself in Bangalore. With over 150 choreographies to her credit, her work is unparalleled in its design and execution. She is a panelist at important design, cultural, philanthropic, corporate and academic organizations. Madhu also heads India’s premier dance education centre- The Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography- founded by Dr Maya Rao and Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay (Under the aegis of UNESCO). An optimist, certified Yoga instructor, martial arts enthusiast and voracious reader, she is now pursuing a MA in Anthropology. Travel and creativity are her oxygen. She is a Fellow of the seventh class of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.