ABOUT DR. MENAKA THAKKAR
Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, Institution Builder
Menaka Thakkar, an internationally renowned and multi-honoured dancer, choreographer, teacher and institution builder has been a leader in Indian dance in Canada for the past 42 years, where she has created a whole generation of Indian dancers across Canada in the classical systems of Bharatanatyam and Odissi. As a choreographer, she has created a large number of original works and successfully experimented with new form, movement and dance vocabulary, thus making fundamental contributions to the development of neoclassical and contemporary forms of Indian dance. Her own performances have ranged internationally over a large number of cities and countries in a brilliant fifty-year performing career. She is the founder-director of two most influential institutions of Indian dance in Canada.
Forty two years ago she founded the first school of Indian dance, Nrtyakala, the Canadian Academy of Indian Dance. Five years later, she founded the first professional company of Indian dance called Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, and became the leading voice for getting the funding support opened up for Indian dance companies from the Canada Council for the Arts. In 1993 she received an honourary doctorate (D.Litt) from York University and was made an Adjunct Professor of Dance at York University. She has been teaching at her school Nrtyakala – Canadian Academy of Indian Dance, the York University Dance Department, and at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. In addition to a large number of original choreographic works in Bharatanatyam and Odissi, she was the first to collaborate with several Canadian dance artists to create a large body of fusion choreography as part of her continuing effort to contribute to
the development of contemporary choreography in Indian dance. Menaka’s own training in Bharatanatyam began at the age of four with older sister Sudha Thakkar Khandwani (1946–1953) in the Kalakshetra style. She then continued advanced training more generally in the Pandanallur style with Guru Nana Kasar (1953–1965). During the tenure of a three-year Fellowship Award by Bharat Sangeet Sabha of Bombay (1970–1972), she studied with Guru Tanjavur Kadhirvelu Pillai; and later, on intensive visits to Madras every year she studiedAbhinaya with Guru Kalanidhi Narayan (1978–1990) and a wide variety of rare works of the Tanjore repertoire, with Guru Kitappa Pillai (1980–1990), who was the last surviving descendant of the celebrated “Tanjore Quartet” of the 18th century.
Menaka studied classical Odissi, first in Bombay with Guru Ramaniranjan Jena, and then in Cuttak, (Orissa) with Guru Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra (1965–1970). She continued training with him during periodic visits (1970–1990). She studied classical style of Kuchipudi initially with Guru C.R. Acharyalu of Ahmedabad, and later with Guru Vempatti Chinna Satyam. Her large number of honours include the 1968 and 1970 Singar Mani Award in India for excellence in Bharatanatyam and excellence in Odissi; 1993 Honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt) degree from York University, Nomination for Dora Mavor Moore Choreography Award; 1996 Nomination for Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize from Japan, Tri-national Creative Residency Award from Canada-Mexico-USA joint Programme; 1997 Biographical entry in the Encyclopaedia of Dance; 1998 President’s Award from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce; 2000 Toronto Arts Award for Performing Arts from Arts Toronto (formerly known as the Toronto Arts Foundation); 2001 Life Time Achievement Award from Magic Feet representing the voice of South Asian Youth; 2003 My Bindi Award for favourite dance troupe or company; 2007 Face the Arts award from the City of Toronto and the Toronto Life Magazine; and she was Finalist for the Ontario Premier’s Award in 2010. To crown it all, Menaka recently became the recipient of two highest honours that Canada can offer to any dance Artist: the 2012 Canada Council Award of the Walter Carson Prize for excellence in Performing Arts (Dance); and the 2013 Governor General’s Award for Life Time Achievement in the Performing Arts (Dance). The 1993 Award of the Honorary Doctor of Letters from York University, together with these recent honours makes Menaka the solitary first non-western dance artist to achieve the highest triple glory.
Forty two years ago she founded the first school of Indian dance, Nrtyakala, the Canadian Academy of Indian Dance. Five years later, she founded the first professional company of Indian dance called Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, and became the leading voice for getting the funding support opened up for Indian dance companies from the Canada Council for the Arts. In 1993 she received an honourary doctorate (D.Litt) from York University and was made an Adjunct Professor of Dance at York University. She has been teaching at her school Nrtyakala – Canadian Academy of Indian Dance, the York University Dance Department, and at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. In addition to a large number of original choreographic works in Bharatanatyam and Odissi, she was the first to collaborate with several Canadian dance artists to create a large body of fusion choreography as part of her continuing effort to contribute to
the development of contemporary choreography in Indian dance. Menaka’s own training in Bharatanatyam began at the age of four with older sister Sudha Thakkar Khandwani (1946–1953) in the Kalakshetra style. She then continued advanced training more generally in the Pandanallur style with Guru Nana Kasar (1953–1965). During the tenure of a three-year Fellowship Award by Bharat Sangeet Sabha of Bombay (1970–1972), she studied with Guru Tanjavur Kadhirvelu Pillai; and later, on intensive visits to Madras every year she studiedAbhinaya with Guru Kalanidhi Narayan (1978–1990) and a wide variety of rare works of the Tanjore repertoire, with Guru Kitappa Pillai (1980–1990), who was the last surviving descendant of the celebrated “Tanjore Quartet” of the 18th century.
Menaka studied classical Odissi, first in Bombay with Guru Ramaniranjan Jena, and then in Cuttak, (Orissa) with Guru Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra (1965–1970). She continued training with him during periodic visits (1970–1990). She studied classical style of Kuchipudi initially with Guru C.R. Acharyalu of Ahmedabad, and later with Guru Vempatti Chinna Satyam. Her large number of honours include the 1968 and 1970 Singar Mani Award in India for excellence in Bharatanatyam and excellence in Odissi; 1993 Honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt) degree from York University, Nomination for Dora Mavor Moore Choreography Award; 1996 Nomination for Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize from Japan, Tri-national Creative Residency Award from Canada-Mexico-USA joint Programme; 1997 Biographical entry in the Encyclopaedia of Dance; 1998 President’s Award from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce; 2000 Toronto Arts Award for Performing Arts from Arts Toronto (formerly known as the Toronto Arts Foundation); 2001 Life Time Achievement Award from Magic Feet representing the voice of South Asian Youth; 2003 My Bindi Award for favourite dance troupe or company; 2007 Face the Arts award from the City of Toronto and the Toronto Life Magazine; and she was Finalist for the Ontario Premier’s Award in 2010. To crown it all, Menaka recently became the recipient of two highest honours that Canada can offer to any dance Artist: the 2012 Canada Council Award of the Walter Carson Prize for excellence in Performing Arts (Dance); and the 2013 Governor General’s Award for Life Time Achievement in the Performing Arts (Dance). The 1993 Award of the Honorary Doctor of Letters from York University, together with these recent honours makes Menaka the solitary first non-western dance artist to achieve the highest triple glory.
