Viktoria Burenkova

🪔 About

Viktoria Burenkova, also known by her stage name Vijaya Bai, is a dedicated Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher based in Kyiv, Ukraine. She has committed her entire life to the Indian classical dance form, organizing her schedule, plans, and goals around it, even extending to crafting dance uniforms and costumes. While Bharatanatyam is her primary focus, she has also explored Kuchipudi, though she maintains that Bharatanatyam is the dance she wishes to pursue lifelong. Viktoria is a central figure at the Nakshatra dance school in Kyiv, an institution founded by her guru, Ganna Smirnova Rajhans. She began her Bharatanatyam training at the age of seven, alongside her sister and mother, under the tutelage of Ganna Smirnova Rajhans. Since 2012, Viktoria has been actively involved in teaching at Nakshatra and also provides private lessons. Following Ganna Smirnova's relocation to the UK due to the war, Viktoria assumed full responsibility for managing the Nakshatra dance school, skillfully continuing its legacy. The Nakshatra school received recognition as a 'National Studio' by Ukraine's Ministry of Culture in 2010. Committed to promoting Bharatanatyam in Ukraine, Viktoria Burenkova stages dance dramas in the Ukrainian language, incorporating Bharatanatyam hand gestures to convey narratives to local audiences who may not be familiar with Sanskrit. Her deep affection for India and its culture is further evidenced by her language studies; she began learning Hindi at 18, followed by some Telugu, and is currently studying Punjabi. She has also authored several teaching brochures on Indian classical dance and is collaborating with a Ukrainian Sanskritologist on a translation of the ancient treatise "Natya Shastra" into Ukrainian. Nakshatra also offers online classes globally and maintains a presence on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.