*BIO-DATA* ​ *Smt. Shubha Dhananjay -* One of the leading Bharathanatyam dancers of our state is a versatile artiste combining the skills of a performer, teacher, choreographer and an organizer   Shubha Dhananjay dedicated herself to the Sacred Art of Bharathanatyam and Kathak Styles of Classical Dances under Guru Madurai Srinivas and Dr Maya Rao respectively.  Shubha is a graduate in Dance Choreography>  Shubha was the youngest classical dancer selected by the state government for performing at ‘Viswa Kannada Sammelana’ which was held at Manchester, UK during 1988. Since then, as a performing artiste of excellence, Shubha Dhananjay presents Bharathanatyam & Kathak as meaningful dance forms to audiences across the world.  'Natyantharanga' - In its 34th Year; Shubha Dhananjay has been the Director of 'Natyantharanga' - Institute of Indian classical dances since 1987 and in the year 2006, she also founded 'KARANA', which offers training in Art forms of Vocal music, Instrumental music and Yoga apart from Classical Dances.  Here, the students get rigorous training in their respective Art forms with a systematic approach towards perfection, yet in the ambiance of a Gurukula system. Students and teachers from abroad visit her annually for intensive training sessions.  Smt Shubha, as a cultural ambassador of the rich traditional dance forms of the country, has widely traveled across the globe to perform at International  Festivals at The United States of America, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Maldives, Nepal, Iraq, China and Malaysia. She, along with daughter Maya, was invited to perform at AKKA 2010 at the US and also toured with her disciples at the International Festivals held at Jinan, China during Oct/11 and Chengdu, China during July/2014 and July/2015, 2018 and 2019. She also toured  USA both across the West and the East coasts with her Scintillating Solo Performances along with Workshops during August and September 2015, March and April 2017 and 2018. In 2019, the grand Dance Ballet, Sri Srinivasa Kalyana was presented in collaboration with many Senior dancers and Gurus of Portland, Oregon. Shubha DDhananjay, with her team also performed at Doha, Qatar which was organised by UNESCO during March 2018. ‘Belli gejje’ - The National Dance Festival which was held during 2004 to mark 25 years of the ‘Dancing life of Shubha’, was highly acclaimed as one of the ‘Best Cultural Event’ of the year. Shubha DDhananjay’s performances and Interviews for the small screen have been telecast on almost all the Television Channels and her Lecture-Demonstrations have been documented at various Institutions.  ‘Natya Madhuri’ - A Program dedicated to classical dances has been conceptualized, directed and hosted by Shubha which was telecast on Sri Sankara TV. As a frequent performer at various prestigious platforms in and across the country with Classical recitals and Dance Ballets, Shubha is known for her Innovative blending of choreography. ​ Shubha served as the Cultural Ambassador at Bali, Indonesia. Recipient of many Awards and Titles, Smt. Shubha has bagged the prestigious FCHS Fellowship Award from Montreal University, Canada., Gnana Saraswathi from Gnana Mandara Academy, Nrithya Saraswathi, Ugadi Puraskara from Karnataka-Andhra Lalitakala Academy, Nrithya Shivali at Mumbai, Karnataka Jyothi, Aryabhata, Dr.Puttaraja Gawai Krupa Bhushana Award, Gunanidhi from Gunagrahi, Vishwa Manya Kannadiga, Samajarathna, National Youth Award at Chennai and Lucknow, Natyarani Shanthala Award, Nadaprabhu Sri Kempegowda Award 2015, NrithyaNipuna from the Akhila Karnataka Nrithya Kala Parishath,  Swarasannidhi Award 2016 ​, Ajantha Vishwa Natya Rathna Award 2018  and many more. . . Humanitarian Services - As a service to the society, Shubha picks up talents from rural areas, trains them free of cost and encourages them to continue in the field where they can pass on the tradition to a few more hundreds, thereby contributing to the continuity of our Art in rural areas also.   Shubha travels widely giving Lectures and Demonstrations at Schools, Colleges and for various Govt Institutions like CCRT where the Teachers trainers are enlightened about the subject.