Sharmila Rao
Profile
Sharmila Rao is a Bharata Natyam dancer, teacher and cultural practitioner based in Switzerland. With 40 years of experience as a performer and more than 25 years of teaching, she has dedicated her career to keeping the classical South Indian dance tradition alive while exploring its relevance in a contemporary, multicultural context.
Born and raised in Switzerland in a family of artists, Rao was introduced to Bharata Natyam from an early age and completed her Arangetram at the age of 12. She subsequently performed across Europe for two decades, including more than 40 performances of Abhijnana Shakuntalam during its European tour in 1994/95. In 1998, she received the Natya Mayuri Young Talent Award from the Music Academy Chennai.
Alongside her artistic career, Rao studied Indology and Educational Science at the University of Zurich. Her doctoral research explored the transformation of poetry into dance through the lens of Bharata Natyam and was completed summa cum laude. Her broader training also includes 20 years of South Indian classical music and further education in anatomy and body-conscious movement.
Since 2016, Rao has led her own dance school in Zurich and Wettingen, which has grown to around 80 students. Her teaching brings together traditional knowledge and accessible, contemporary approaches, welcoming students of different ages and cultural backgrounds.
Collaboration is an important part of her artistic practice. She regularly works with local female artists on creative projects, creating spaces where Indian and Western artistic perspectives can meet. Through her teaching and artistic work, Rao continues to explore how tradition can be preserved not as something static, but as a living art form that can evolve and connect with new generations.
Website: www.sharmilarao.ch