QUEEN'S ROAD: Prateeksha Kashi inherited her love for dance from her mother Vyjayanthi Kashi, a Kuchipudi dancer known for her contributions to Kannada dance-drama.
The 24-year-old dancer is currently garnering attention for her small screen presence and has also received positive feedback for her role in her debut film Prakruti, which won the National Award for best screenplay.
She also bagged the prestigious Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Kiran Puraskar 2014 conferred from the Governor of Maharastra, Vidyasagar Rao. She is the first from Karnataka to receive this award for dance and the youngest actress to be awarded so far.
"The award is given once in five years for a particular field. This time it was given for art. I was elated to share the stage with Pandit Birju Maharaj. He was given the lifetime achievement award," said Prateeksha.
She was also selected by the Government of India as part of the 100-member youth delegation to represent India on the cultural front to celebrate India-China Year of Friendly Exchanges 2014.
A gold medalist in computer science, Prateeksha worked at SAP Labs for a year. She explains her history with dance and how she is working for her mother's dance school.
“When I was in school, college and while I was working, dance was always in the background. After working for a year at SAP, I thought I could do something beyond this and resigned my job. I started acting in B Suresh’s Kaadambari Kanaja which is currently running. I then got an opportunity to act in Prakruti. I am still pursuing dancing as a career where I perform and teach as well,” she said.
Apart from participating at National and International events, Prateeksha handles the Koramangala branch of Shambavi School of Dance, which has four branches. “When I have time, I go and teach at other branches too. I also go abroad with my mother or myself where I hold workshops, lecturers and demonstrations. I recently held a demonstration at Mount Carmel College,” she said.
Prateeksha hopes to keep the tradition of dance alive in Bengaluru. she said, “Today our lifestyle is so different. I was surprised when one of my friends did not know who Lord Shiva was. Traditional art form has the power to educate people. It all depends on the way it is presented. With time, we have to progress in our dance forms. I try to stick to the roots of Kuchipudi and innovate different ways to convey a message to the audience,” she says.
Vyjayanthi is happy that her daughter is taking her dancing school forward. “My parents never imposed dance on me. Irrespective of the background, I studied science and not art. I was always curious about other fields. My corporate experience will help me to concentrate on production and find innovative ways to present it,” Prateeksha said.
She further said, “Art has given me an identity and has also helped me to keep myself grounded. My mother has dedicated her life for this school and it is important for me to take it forward. Right now I am at an age where I am learning and would want to contribute more to this art form, like my mother did.”
After Prakruti, Prateeksha has got an offer from the Malayalam industry. “I am yet to meet the producer. If everything gets materialised, I will take it up,” she said.