Founder
Guru Vidushi Asha Adiga
“Art is our way of life”
“The strength and beauty of art forms lies in its ability to integrate the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of mankind”.
Guru Vidushi Asha Adiga Acharya is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic music performer. She has been in this field for more than 34 years as a student, a performer, a choreographer, composer, and an educator. Asha has proved her versatility by learning and performing other classical and Indian folk dance forms. She was a child prodigy and represented India on the international stage as a dancer at age of 9 and has given performances all over India, in Paris – France and at several places in the USA such as New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Michigan, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Illinois.
She has visualized, choreographed and directed, many classical dances, folk dances, dance dramas, ballets and composed several music, some of which are “Shiva Shakthi”, “Rama-Eshawara”, “Sri Guru Sai Leela”, “Sri Sathyanarayana Katha”, Nadham and many more. She started her learning at a young age from Vidwan Raja Gopala Bhagavath and Vidushi Poornima Bhagavath as her Carnatic classical music & Bharatanatyam dance teachers in Kalakshetra dance style. She secured a 3rd rank in dance Vidwath higher proficiency exams conducted by Karnataka Higher Education Board, India government. She is also a recipient of the Indian government scholarship in senior dance. She has received several awards and accolades to her credit such as J.C Club “Outstanding Young Indian” Award, “Kala Isiri Award” by Champika Pathrike, Air India “Rank Award”, “Sharada Puraskara”, she is also a awardee of extraordinary artist greencard in USA and she is an esteem member of the prestigious international dance council CID – UNESCO. Asha believes in preserving and sharing the Indian culture amongst people through Indian classical art forms. Thus, with a vision to promote artistic and professional excellence, she founded the Acharya Performing Arts Academy Inc in Illinois, and she is creative artistic director in Nupura Geetha Inc., a Nonprofit organization for art and culture in Illinois, USA. .
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About Asha |
For more than 25 years, Asha has been in art field as a student, a performer and as an instructor. Asha was introduced and encouraged to the art forms at a very young age, by her parents Smt. Srimathi Adiga and Late Shri Chandrashekhara Adiga who themselves were very much involved in cultural, religious and social service organization, along with her elder sister Usha.
Asha received her formal Bharathanatyam dance training form Vidhwan Raja Gopala Bhagavath and Vidushi Poornima Bhagavath in “Kalakshetra”dance style and she completed her “Vidhwat” level with their guidance.
Guru Bhagavath couple took dance training from Vid. Janardhan, who was trained by Prof. M.R. Krishnamurthy who in turn received a disciplined training under guru Rukmini Devi Arundale Kalakshetra India.
Asha graduated in Bharathanatyam dance form and secured 3rd Rank in state level ‘Vidhwat’ examination conducted by Secondary Board of Karnataka government.
With guidance of her gurus she founded “Sanskruti School of Dance ( In India)” and also conducted many classical dance, folk dances and music workshops at various places in India.
Later she conducted dance and music classes, workshops in New Jersey, Michigan and Illinois states of USA.
She also got Bharathanatyam training form Guru Shubha Dhananjaya (Shubha Narasimayya) and Hanumanthraj in her earlier dance career.
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Carnatic Classical Music |
Asha received her carnatic classical music training from guru Vidhwan Raja Gopal Bhagavath for many years and also took training in this area with several gurus.
Asha secured 1st class in singing exams conducted by Secondary Board of Karnataka, India government with guidance from her guru Vidhwan Raja Gopal Bhagavath. She also won many prizes at state and national level singing competitions.
She also learned under the tutelage of several gurus like Miss. Sharada, Mrs. Suvarna Badarinath for light, folk music and also got guidance from Dr Murugesh Babu.
She has given many Carnatic classical music and light music performances in USA as well as in India.
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Asha also proved her versatility by performing and learning: |
- Kuchupudi: Learnt from guru Dr. Raju from Thirupathi India.
- Yoga: Learnt from guru K.V Shenoy India.
- Yakkshagana: Learnt from guru Hemmadi Ramachandra Bhat, India.
- Odissi and Manipuri: Learnt in New Jersey from Mrs. Rimli Roy.
- Kathak: Learnt from Guru Ramakrishna Bhat, India.
- Indian Folk dance: Such as Dandiya, Raas, Garba, Kansale, Kolatam, Kummi, Kuruvanji, Jhumur Nach, Lavani, etc..
She got introduced to theater form in ‘Bhumika’, the drama organization from Vanitha Samaja Davanagere, India and got chance to learn from ‘Neenasam’ Mr. and Mrs. Manula Badami and Mr. Kavathar and others. To presume more knowledge and education in the theatrical area she presently pursues her degree in Theaters at Illinois, USA.
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Performances |
Asha’s creative and unique dance choreography which is combination of Bharathanatyam, Kuchupudi and Yoga in which she keeping 4 pots on her head, holding light in both her hands and while balancing them she dances on floor and on a plate giving various different ‘yoga’ postures, is very popular and crowd puller. She has performed this in more than 100 shows and each mesmerizing the crowd equally or better than the previous.
She has given dance performances in Paris, France in the year 1992 (when she was just 9 years old) after getting selected in the workshop organized by Thirupathi Dance Academy of India. This gave her more recognition, motivation and responsibility to learn and contribute further to the art form.
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Performances in India |
Asha did most of her performance in India as duo paired with her elder sister Usha wherein they were referred as “Adiga Sisters”.
Asha performed in Delhi Bal Bavan, Thirupathi, Agra, Jamshedpur, Chennai outside Karnataka and within Karnataka places such Bangalore, Mangalore, Thumkur, Harihara, Shimoga, Malladihalli, Udupi, Kundapura, Koteshwara, Davanagere, Belgaum, Dharwad, Hubli and other cities of India.
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Performances in USA |
Asha has given classical dance concerts in many USA cities like New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Michigan, Indianapolis IN and Illinois. Such as:
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- “Gudiya” charitable program organized by New York University NY and “Tyohar” dance drama at World Financial Centre in New York.
- Hudson county Cultural Community program and Jersey City Museum multi cultural program and “HHH” (Health, Heart and Handicaps) Association charity program in New Jersey.
- Balaji temple Shiva rathri festival concert, “Asian heritage festivals” concert and Sears Holding Corporation and Alcatel-Lucent concert in Illinois.
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Choreography and Direction |
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- Asha Choreographed many classical dances, semi-classical, folk, fusion dancers and many jathi compositions and song tune compositions.
- Asha Visualized and directed many classical dance dramas/ballet, musical folk dance dramas, creative fusion dance dramas, musical dance mimes and musical dramas like “Shiva Lalata Thandava”, “Kanakadasa – Udupi Krishna”, “Sri Krishna bala leele”, “Shiva- Shakthi”, “Srirama- Sitha rama”, “Panchabootham”- about 5 elements, Sankranthi”- a folk dance dram about harvesting, “Vachana Vibava” a creative dance attempt to a Vachana literature, “Karnataka Nuthya Vibhava”- a dance drama about Karantaka state cultural, “Janapada Nruthya Vibhava” the journey of the lady through folk song.
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Some Achievements Include: |
- Recipient of first prize in Karnataka State level dance competition.
- Felicitated by Haryana State Govt. Secretary Sri K. C. Sharma for excellent dance performance in the year 1999.
- Received 1st prize in music and dance National level competition held at Agra, India in 1999.
- As a National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadet participated in Republic Day parade in 2001 and got 1st prize for Karnataka under cultural competition(DANCE, SONG), which the state hadn’t received for the past 10 years then, and which was telecasted in India’s prime TV channel DD1.
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Awards |
- Received “Sharada Puraskara” in “Nupura” Dance festival from Guru Vidhwan Raja Gopala Bhagavath and Vidushi Poornima Bhagavath.
- Received “Air India “ Rank Award “-2006
- Received “ Kala Isiri Award -2006” by “Champika Pathrike”(Press).
- Felicitated by J.C Club as an “Out Standing Young person” Award.
- Received “Talented Student” award in AVK College Davangere, India.
Asha deems art as God and she is just a devotee of the art God. She always has hunger towards learning other art forms and volunteers to share the same to the world. Her family, friends and student disciples and mainly her husband Srinivasa Acharya has always been supportive towards her art work.