Mythili Prakash is a young award-winning, internationally renowned classical dancer, celebrated for her exquisite rendition of the ancient art of Bharatanatyam. This three thousand year old dance form, known for its grace, beauty and inherent spirituality, is a challenge to master, but Mythili, considered a child prodigy, is a captivating and brilliant performer. She has performed at locations across the world, and is a truly global citizen, straddling the cultures of the United States, (from where she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley) and India with ease.

Mythili began her training in the Thanjavur tradition of Bharata Natyam at the age of four under the tutelage of her mother, Smt. Viji Prakash - a virtuoso of this dance form. She gave her first solo performance at the tender age of eight in Mumbai, after which she never looked back. Today Mythili has a full time career in dance, and apart from performing & choreographs, she trains other dancers. Mythili has done much to turn the spotlight on Bharathanatyam, since her work is widely written about in the international press. She has appeared on NBC’s programme

‘Superstars of Dance. Mythili performed at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in honor of the president of India in 1991. Mythili has won great acclaim and many awards for her dance, and some of them include Sanskriti Nitya Puraskar for Outstanding Contribution to Dance at a Young Age, Sanatan Sangeet Sanskrit, New Delhi, The Kohinoor Award for Excellence in Classical Arts and Culture, Los Angeles, Spirit of Youth MGR Best Dancer Award, Chennai, Nadanamaamani or Jewel of Dance for Outstanding contribution to Indian Classical Dance, Chennai, Rohini Krishnan Endowment Award, Chennai, ARTINDIA’s Best Bharata Natyam Dancer & Natya Kala Vipanchi or Master of Dance for Outstanding propogation of Indian Classical Dance, Chennai.  She is also the 2010 recipient of the Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange (CHIME) grant in Southern California.  The program seeks to formalize the exchange and feedback mechanisms between established and emerging California choreographers. Mythili will work with the highly acclaimed Artistic director of Jazz Tap Ensemble, the internationally-renowned Lynn Dally with the objective of making Bharata Natyam more accessible to main stream audiences in America.

My mother continued to perform until she was about 6 months pregnant with me!! my exposure to dance began from the womb... my mom, Viji Prakash is my Guru. I have trained with her since I was about 4. As a child, I would watch all of her dance classes, and picked up quite a bit before I officially joined classes. Undoubtedly, the luxury of pursuing a career in dance is completely thanks to my parents, Viji and Kikkeri Prakash. In fact, when I initially had reservations about taking up this relatively unstable profession, it was they who said – We know this is what you love, and you won’t be fulfilled doing anything else. If you decide to take up dance, give it your 100% and we will support you. - Of course they understand the passion, dedication, and focus that is necessary as my mother is herself a dancer

(my teacher), a student of Gurus Mahalingam and Kalyanasundaram Pillai of the Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai. She had done her degree in Communication, but her passion was dance. When she got married to my father and moved to the US, she continued to perform and tour, and set up a small dance school in Los Angeles, called Shakti. She was one of the pioneers of classical Indian Dance in Los Angeles, who introduced the form to the community.

My dad, who was working as a financial engineer for an oil company, is very supportive of the arts. When my mother’s school began to thrive in Los Angeles, and he was to be transferred to a different state, he was faced with the choice of moving the whole family (which meant ending her school), or having him move and the rest of the family stay in LA. Instead, he gave up his career to stay with the family and help her with the school. In the last 30 years, since my mother moved there, awareness of Bharata Natyam has grown multifold. It is now part of the Curriculum at leading Public Universities such as University of California, Los Angeles, where my mother is an Associate Professor of Dance.

I have also had the privilege of guidance from leading stalwarts in the field, including my mother’s Gurus Mahalingam and Kalyanasundaram Pillai, as well as Professor C.V. Chandrasekhar. My mother has also brought many young dynamic artists to conduct workshops and through that, I have also had the opportunity to work with them and observe their individual approaches. I have had the benefit of guidance in the nuances of abhinaya from acclaimed exponent Bragha Bessell, and am currently under the guidance of renowned dansuese Malavika Sarukkai.

My arangetram was a special one, as it marked the beginning of hard work, and an approach and focus to my dance that is not “career –centered.” I did not even know that it was my arangetram. It was my 8th birthday, and when asked how I wanted to celebrate, I answered “Dance!” So I performed in the Kochu Guruvayoor temple in front of my mother’s Gurus and several other well-wishers in Mumbai. The Gurus blessed me and proudly informed me that this was my Arangetram in the true sense of the word.

After that, I took to dance very seriously. Practice and the drive to push myself to be able to endure a challenging margam and improve constantly was the motivation behind the many performances that came in. After all, a young child performing on stage is very appealing to audiences. But I was very tough on myself. I grew up watching my mother’s older students, as well as Senior dancers from India, so I held myself to the same standards. I did not want any concessions because of my age.

That focused attention on practice and improvement, without importance on the glamour or reward aspect of the dance, is something that has stayed with me throughout, continuing today. Of course there were time periods in High School and College, where dance took the backseat next to studies and social activities. After receiving my Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications from University of California Berkeley, when I decided to make the shift to India (in 2005/2006), is when I regained focus. After that, dance has become absolutely full time. I spend my time practicing, choreographing, learning, performing, and watching. In these years, my career has been developing well. I have been touring and presenting my work in many countries, and also had the honors of accolades from prestigious institutions in India, as well as Grants for my choreographic work from institutions in the US.

I have been performing regularly for the Soorya Festival, Trivandram & at Kerala Kalamandalam. I have also performed several times for Dharini, Ernakulam, and also for Talam, Trissur, and Swaralaya, Palakkad. I found in people of Kerala, artistic sensibilites which I admire.

My base being US helped me a lot in my profession, yet keeping a constant connection with India, and performing internationally. Audiences in different places are different and each calls for a different approach in performance planning. For example, a traditional margam relished by the Chennai audience may not hold the same appeal for a less initiated audience, who would not be as familiar with the finer nuances of the language and vocabulary. It is important to make the art accessible to the given audience without compromising on quality, depth, or aesthetics. This understanding is what helps me in my profession, and what continues to help me communicate to international audiences.

Many factors must be in place for a dancer to reach heights in a career. One is obviously family support, which is not always there, and practically so, since dance is an unstable profession. Financially speaking, it is difficult to be successful as a performer unless one takes to something more stable, such as teaching. As the economy fluctuates, funding for the arts are the first thing to get cut, and as a consequence, so do paying performance opportunities for artists.

I think that people also seem to overlook is that it takes TREMENDOUS discipline, work, and deep focus to be a dancer and artist. One must keep the body and mind tuned like an instrument, only possible through REGULAR practice, no matter the stature of the artist. An artist must constantly be looking for ways to inspire oneself and create work that is meaningful. It is also important to maintain inner focus, without being overly phased by external factors (i.e. praise, criticism, accolades, gossip, etc.). This means clarity of mind and sincerity of heart. These may seem like obvious things, but they are a lot easier said than done.

The immediate major projects are one piece that I have just finished and am presenting at the Los Angeles Getty Centre on February 13th and 14th. The next is a full length production, entitled Shakti – The Sacred Force, for which I have got The Artistic Innovation Grant from the Centre for Cultural Innovation.