Prof. Vijaya Marthanda

Prof. Vijaya Marthanda is a well-known dance veteran who specializes in classical Bharatanatyam and Kathak. She has over four decades of experience in teaching theoretical and practical aspects of choreography and Natya Shastra.

Her passion for dance led to establishing Laya-Lasya, a renowned dance school in Bengaluru, India. As an ardent promoter of dance theory, she converges the study of dance in practical performances by using innovative dance themes and styles, which aid the new-age audience to appreciate rich Indian heritage.
Prof. Vijaya is an educator and a litterateur. She has taught dance theory to thousands of students in leading universities (Reva, Jain, Bangalore) and institutes like Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, to name a few. She has authored several dance textbooks, published papers in leading dance summits, and is an active member of the international dance council.

Among the several awards conferred on her, some of most prestigious ones include Karnataka Kalashree award by the Karnataka Sangeetha Nrutya Academy in 2014, Bharata Muni award from Nritya Kala Parishad and Singar Mani Award at the SUR Singar Samsad, Bombay in 1980. A documentary by the Karnataka state govt. information department, on Prof. Vijaya Marthanda was an honour to her achievements.

She lives in Bengaluru, India with her husband and conducts many dance workshops across the globe when not in India.