Aniruddha Knight (November 13, 1980) is an artist of the Indian classical dance and music known as

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...

. He is a 9th-generation descendant of a 200-year-old family of dancers and musicians from southern India. The dances are traditionally performed by women - Knight is unusually the first male of his family to take up this style of dance. His grandmother

Balasaraswati Tanjore Balasaraswati, also known as Balasaraswati (13 May 1918 – 9 February 1984), was an Indian dancer, and her rendering of Bharatanatyam, a classical dance style originated in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, made this style of d ...

was a celebrated and prolific dancer, ''Newsweek'' said she has been "recognized as the greatest Indian dancer of all time".

Early life and family

Born on November 13, 1980, Aniruddha Knight spent his growing years both in India and the United States of America. His father is an American, Douglas Knight, who married into the family when he studied classical drumming on a South Indian mridangam at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

, where Aniruddha's late grandmother T. Balasaraswati and her two musician brothers had taught since 1962.Vibhuti Patel
"Dance, Indian Style"
''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'', April 2008 Aniruddha's childhood was an endless round of dancing. Initiated into the family's style of art by an aging Balasaraswati, Aniruddha's first formal lessons began at the age of six with mother Lakshmi, Balasaraswati's daughter.Gowri Ramnaraya
"It is not entertainment"
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', August 28, 2009, 28th. Half American by birth, Aniruddha is fluent in Tamil having attended school in both countries. Home schooled on occasion, he went on to pursue his Bachelors in International Relations from Seton Hall University in the year 2004.

Training

A trained classical dancer, Aniruddha Knight brings intrinsic exposure to the varied nuances of Bharatnatyam and Carnatic Music. Traditionally Bharatanatyam was a way of life requiring complete devotion, and in the case of the Balasaraswatis, a performing family that completely embraced the art. Having received intensive Bharatnatyam lessons as well as vocal training from his mother Lakshmi Knight, Aniruddha's classical music skills were further honed by T. Muktha and

T. Viswanathan Tanjore Viswanathan (13 August 1927 – 10 September 2002) was a Carnatic musician specializing in the Carnatic flute and voice. Early life and background Viswa, as T. (Tanjore/Thanjavur) Viswanathan is often called, was born in Madras, I ...

. Currently under the tutelage of Smt. Veghavahini, daughter of T. Brinda, for vocal music and the Veena, Aniruddha continues to take advanced lessons from Shyamala Mohan, one of Balasaraswati's key disciples.

Career

Aniruddha Knight is the artistic director of Bala Music & Dance, a school of dancing in Middletown. His debut performance at the Jacob Pillow Festival (1997) in Massachusetts, began his career in the arts. He was featured in ''Newsweek'' magazine as one of 16 youngsters poised to re-shape India's future. In 2008, he was chosen for the National Dance Project Grant, which recognized Bharatanatyam as a mainstream contemporary art form in the U.S. and covered a four-month tour across the United States. In January 2012, Aniruddha founded the Balasaraswati Scripps Foundation in Chennai, India. Established as an offshoot of the Balasaraswati Performing Arts Centre, supported by the Samuel Scripps Foundation, it houses Louise Scripps’ collection of books, papers, articles and photographs on the history of dance as well as the Dhanammal school, which remains open to researchers. What does she work for

Grants and awards

Aniruddha Knight has been the recipient of several grants from the US government. * New Jersey Council for the Arts 1997, 1999 * Asian Cultural Council - 1997, 2007 * The LEF Foundation- 2004, 2008 * National Endowment for the Arts 2005 * NEFA’s National Dance Project grant 2008 * New England Foundation for Arts 2011

References

External links

Aniruddha Knight
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Aniruddha Bharatanatyam exponents Living people Year of birth missing (living people)