Rahul Acharya

Rahul Acharya is one of the most loved and popular Odissi soloist in the International arena today.The world fondly knows him as the Divine Dancer. At 29, Rahul is treasured for his mastery over the technical aspects of Odissi and his display of sublime emotions. His dance is imbued with beauty, artistry and precision. His rendition of Odissi has been inspired by the Late Guru Debaprasad Das and his teacher, Guru Durga Charan Ranbir.

Other than his dance, Rahul is an avid devotee of Lord Jagannatha and well versed in Sanskrit. He enjoys reading and researching on Shastras (Scriptures) and bringing them to the forefront through his dance. Rahul wants to rediscover the exact antiquated technique of "Odramagadhi" (Odissi as we know it today) by harking back to the basics of "Natyashastra", the definitive ancient text on Indian Performing Arts, and bring it to the forefront through his dance.

As a performing artist and a teacher he emphasizes on mastering technique as the "Natyashastra" states and in empowering the world of Odissi through reading the original texts in Sanskrit. He imagines a world by connecting each country through the essence of Odissi by being a synonym of the dance form itself. He has trained in Raja and Hatha Yoga at the Satyananda Yoga Vidyalaya, Bihar school of Yoga.

Rahul started performing at a tender age and today is marked as an eminent International dancer. He tours the world extensively. At home, he has been an active participant in most celebrated dance festivals of India like Khajurao, Konark, Mukteshwar and Ananya.

He is member of the International Dance Council, CID, UNESCO and also member of World Movement for Indian Fine Arts, Italy. He is member of www.narthaki.com, the largest international website on Indian Classical Dance.

He has been performed so many other festivals in India and abroad like –

Moksha Tour of Japan ,August - Sept 2012

ALAMBANA, Singapore 11th Feb 2012

GAIT to the Spirit, Vancouver Canada, 28th Oct 2011

Tour of Japan; Tokyo, Fukuoka, Gifu, Yokohama, Aug 2011-Sep 2011

Bard College, Hudson, New York, USA 2011

Kansas University for SPIC MACAY, Kansas, USA 2011

Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA 2011

Arthur Lock Jack Auditorium, University of West Indies, Trinidad, West Indies 2011

Tour of Trinidad & Tobago, Nrityanjali Dance Theatre, 2011

Tour of USA, 2011

Mukteshwara Festival, Bhubaneshwar, 15th Jan 2012

Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, Rama Krishna Mission, Kolkata, 11th Jan 2012

International Odissi Festival, IPAP, Bhubaneshwar, 25th Dec 2011

Odissi International Festival, ShyamaHari Chakra, Bhubaneshwar, 18th Dec 2011

Mudra Arts Festival, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 24th Oct 2011

Rahul Acharya received so many awards, achievements and honors some of them are:-

*Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Academy – First male Odissi dancer to receive this award (2008)

*Empanelled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, ICCR

*Honorary member of Sacred Dance Guild, USA

*Honored by Oriya Society of America & Jagannath Society of America

*Graded artist of Doordarshan, Govt. of India

*Recipient of senior scholarship from Dept. of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of India (2003)

*Recipient of junior scholarship from Dept. of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of India (1996)