VIDYA KOTAMRAJU (SHE/HER)

 

Vidya Kotamraju is a Vancouver based dance artist, choreographer and art educator.

Living and working on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), she is trained in bharata natyam* by Jai Govinda (Canada), Sheila Jagadish Kumar (India) and Bragha Bessell (India) and is a graduate of the Jai Govinda Dance Academy. 

 

Kotamraju was introduced to the world of dance and music by her mother, Manju Rao and was an active solo and group performer for several years in India.

 

Kotamraju performed her Arangetram**  at the Frederick Wood Theatre, UBC. She has since performed for Mandala Arts and Culture as a soloist and group performer, notably in productions, The Temptation of Buddha and The Monk and The Courtesan. She has also performed for the Mayor at the Vancouver City Hall, North Shore Womens Centre's Crimson Cabaret, Dance Centre's Silk Route Festival,  Wish 150 A Long Way Home Exhibit, Namaste Canada, PNE's Spirit of India festival, Diwali in BC (Shyama) and the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad among others. 

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Most recently, Kotamraju has performed for Vancouver's DiwaliFest, International Indian Cultural Festival and the Vancouver International Dance Festival (Longing...), Echo Her Series, Cranbrook and Thousand Faces Festival, Edmonton ("Maktub: Ashes to Alchemy").

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Kotamraju continues her training with Jai Govinda along with annual masterclasses with Bragha Bessell. She is the recipient of the 2017 Shade of Hope Award. Off stage, she has served on Boards of New Works and Mandala Arts and Culture for several years and works in the tech industry .