Vani Ganapathy

🪔 About

Vani Ganapathy, also spelled as Vani Ganpati, is a renowned Indian classical dancer and a foremost exponent of Bharatanatyam. Born on June 6, 1950, in Kolkata to Ganapathy K.V. and Indubala Ganapathy, a renowned vocalist for classical dance, Vani began her Bharatanatyam training at the tender age of four in Calcutta under Guru T.A. Rajalakshmi. She performed her arangetram, or debut on-stage performance, at the age of seven. Her family later moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), where she continued her training under esteemed gurus such as Mahalingam Pillai, Govindaraja Pillai, and Kalyanasundaram. For many years, Vani performed in a well-received duet with her sister Meera in Bombay. In the mid-seventies, she presented a television series for Doordarshan titled "The Rich Heritage," which focused on the four main classical dance forms. This program was Doordarshan's entry at the Blue Danube Festival in Europe and was later telecast by the BBC. After her marriage, Vani moved to Chennai, a significant hub for Bharatanatyam, and began her solo performing career in 1986. She later relocated to Bangalore, where she established her own dance institution, 'Sanchari,' around 1994, dedicated to training students in Bharatanatyam. Vani Ganapathy has performed extensively across India and internationally, including in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East, China, Japan, Nepal, Berlin, Stockholm, London, Geneva, Turin, and America. Beyond her dance career, she is also a well-respected interior designer. Awards & Honours: Excellence Award, Sur Singar Samsad, Aryabhatta - Natya Shantala Karnataka Excellence Award, Mantram Achievement Award, Teen-Miss India (1970).