Pratibha Prahlad

Prathibha Prahlad is a celebrated Indian Bharatanatyam dancer whose multi- faceted personality reflects in the outstanding work she continues to do in the arts field.  She is a performer, teacher, choreographer, researcher, cultural visionary, arts administrator, author and a culture- feminist activist. Her work in the field of arts is profound and unparalleled in contemporary dance history. Her contribution to the arts field goes much beyond her own trail-blazing dance career which has taken her to prestigious platforms all over the world. Prathibha Prahlad has performed in many prestigious International Festivals in over 85 Countries and has given more than 3000 performances in India.

Prathibha Prahlad is equally famous for her missionary work in conceptualizing and presenting International Arts Festivals.

The Delhi International Arts Festival, the most famous and the largest Arts Festival in India, of which she is the Founder Festival Director, is a known Brand internationally because of Prathibha’s vision, direction, conviction and hard work. The Dept. of Posts, Govt of India, released a ‘First Day Cover’ of the Delhi International Arts Festival in 2011, with Prathibha Prahlad’s mission statement.

Prathibha Prahlad also has the unique distinction of being the only dancer of her generation to be on an Indian Postal Stamp of Rs.5 /- released by the Indian Posts & Telegraphs Dept., as a special honor to her extraordinary work in the arts field.

A post graduate degree in Mass Communications, and in English Literature and an enviable experience in the performance, print and television media add to her distinction as an arts interlocutor. Prathibha writes articles in leading newspapers and is a frequent invitee to seminars and other academic activities nationally and internationally. She has produced, directed and acted in television serials. Prathibha Prahlad has also authored books on dance & other related subjects.

Prathibha Prahlad heads the Prasiddha Foundation & Forum For Arts Beyond Borders, both of which have established themselves as premier cultural organizations of the Country.

Prasiddha Dance Repertory, of which she is the Artistic Director and Choreographer has become a much acclaimed dance group and is frequently invited by International Festivals for performances. Prasiddha Repertory has performed widely in China, Japan, Belarus, Malaysia, Europe and most recently in Georgia and Armenia.

Prathibha Prahlad is a cultural visionary and crusader and is involved in changing lives and transforming societies through her work in the arts.

She was the convener of the Culture Committee of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and was a member of the expert committee that designed the Opening & Closing Ceremony of the Games.

The other Government Committees, Prathibha Prahlad has served on include-

Member of the Executive Board of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, member of the Cabinet Committee for HANNOVER EXPO 2000- where she designed the entire cultural component of the Indian Pavilion besides choreographing the main Indian presentation there.( ITPO –Ministry of Commerce),Member, Expert Committee for Tableaux Selection for Republic Day( Ministry Of Defence),Member, Expert Committee for selection for  Dance Scholarships-( Ministry Of Culture),Member, Expert Committee for Junior and Senior Fellowships-2001,2004,2005,2007,2009,2010,2012,2013-( Ministry Of Culture),Core Committee Member, Culture, for Afro Asian Games ( Hyderabad). Besides these, Prathibha Prahlad has also been member of Committee to design the Syllabus for dance for CBSE Boards -10^th and 12^th – 2008,2009,2010,2011.

She was also requested to design the model Question Paper for C.B.S.E Boards for general and practical – Arts-2009/2010 and was on N.C.E.R.T- Committee to design Syllabus and teaching methodology for cultural studies.

Prathibha Prahlad’s other significant and unique contributions to the arts field include a documentary film ‘Nectar in Stone’ on Belur & Halebid temples, which won her the best film award from UNESCO in 1987, production and acting in popular TV serial ‘SHRUTI’ on the life of a dancer, a film on 50 years of dance in Karnataka which won her a national award. She was responsible too for the structuring of the ‘Hampi Vijayotsav Festival’, which she handed over to the Govt. of Karnataka to organize. ‘Sharad Vaibhava’ and ‘Eka Aneka’ festivals of dance and music have won her the appreciation of the large artistic community. The Prasiddha Foundation, which she heads, collected funds for the PM’s Relief Fund through her programmes ‘Karnataka for Kargil’.

The highlights of her performances are too many to list. To cite a few, she performed for a body of the United Nations in Thailand (1989), UN HQ in New York in 1995, and at the World Bank Auditorium in Washington DC  celebrating  50 years of the Indian Republic in 2000.

In recent years, she was a special invitee to speak on ‘India & Culture’ at prestigious international festivals such as the Adelaide International Arts festival, Tokyo International Arts festival, Sziget Festival in Budapest, China Shanghai International Festival, Taiwan International Arts Festival, Beijing International Festival, Festivals in Poland, Denmark ,Israel and others. She was invited to present her production ‘Vande Mataram’ for the closing of Festival of India in Malaysia in June 2015. In 2016, she toured China and Japan with her group. Her multi-style productions ‘Panchajanya -sights & sounds of India’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ won her huge accolades and have been emulated by many of her contemporaries and seniors in the field.

In Feb 2017, Prathibha Prahlad opened the prestigious Sarajevo Winter Festival with her group the Prasiddha Dance Repertory. Thereafter, they performed in several cities in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Hungary. In October 2018, Prathibha Prahlad and Prasiddha Dance Repertory toured Georgia and Armenia for the 70^th Anniversary celebrations of India’s independence.

Over the last 12 years, Prathibha Prahlad has been India’s representative at the China Shanghai International Festival and has been a distinguished speaker at the main forum.

She was also invited for China- South Asia Dialogue Forum (a track 2 diplomacy forum) as a distinguished speaker in 2018, 2019 & 2022 by the China Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries ( CPAFF) where she brought forth India’s perspective effectively.

Prathibha Prahlad’s production Warrior Women of Bharat has been acclaimed as unique, innovative, outstanding & truly of international standards. The production was chosen to inaugurate the Festival of India in Russia in September 2023, where it had standing ovations in all cities including Moscow and the Marinsky in St. Petersburg.

She continues to be a frequent invitee to international conferences and Festivals and is very popular on the international arts circuit. Prathibha Prahlad is among the most renowned artistes of the Country and is continuously performing and being honored by many Organisations in India.