ABKK Kamrupa, Bengaluru 16th July 2026: Gururaju, a senior and prime disciple of Smt. Vyjayanthi Kashi, and a renowned Indian Classical Kuchipudi dancer, mentor, teacher, actor, organiser, and yoga practitioner from Bengaluru {India} I have had the privilege of touring and performing with my Guru at various prestigious dance festivals in India and Abroad. Additionally, I Have had the honor of performing solo at numerous esteemed national dance festivals.
ABOUT HIM:
Gururaju opened the festival with a commanding Kuchipudi recital that reflected the
rigorous training he his guru. Powerful footwork, dynamic spins, and sculptural poses
evoked the vigour of tandava, balanced by fluid abhinaya that captured Shiva’s fierce
yet benevolent essence – Narthaki.com – Sri Satish Suri – Bangalore.
The Dasavatar in Kuchipudi by Gururaju N choreographed by Guru Vyjayanthi
Kashi. Very crisp, well defined and balanced gestures with rich music made
Gururaju’s performance evocative and entrancing and Krishna Tarangam “Neela
Megha Shareera” by Gururaju. I have watched his Tarangam many times earlier
and I must say, he has mastered the art of dancing on the brass plate with
growing experience. It was elegant, poised and hypnotic – Narhtaki.comMadhuri Sarkar – BIC – Bangalore
Gururaju N, student of Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi, presented Kuchipudi performance
on 7th November 2025, at FAS RCF Academy Hall, Mumbai. He regaled the
audience with a traditional Kuchipudi repertoire in a solo performance, all items
choreographed by his guru. He performed with a sober and calm demeanour, with
restraint and mindful awareness – Narthaki.com – Chandra Anand – Mumbia
Gururaju gracefully portrayed the relation of a devotee and the lord in this dance
piece. With ecstatic facial expression and subtle body movement the dance
presentation of Gururaju took the audience into the world of divinity –
Narthaki.com-Natyeshwara National Dance & Seminar – New Delhi
The highlight of GURURAJU’S performance was his ability to express complex
emotions through his abhinaya, transporting the audience into the poetic world
of Ramadasu’s longing and Durga Tarangam, demonstrated his adeptness at
both nritya and abhinaya, leaving the audience in awe of his skillful footwork
and emotive storytelling – Narthaki.com – Srivatsa Sandilya – Bangalore
Gururaju, a renowned kuchipudi artist, captivated the audience with his solo
performance, Gururaju’s command over the dance form and graceful
movements mesmerized the attendees – The Daily Guardian – New Delhi
Kuchipudi performance by Gururaju was particulary noteworthy for its vivacious
quality, flamboyant style with leaps and jumps, creating a last.
Gururaju deverves to be seen in more festivals – Narthaki.com – Vijay ShankarMumbai
When N Gururaj came on stage he was like floating! So light footed he was –
Life and more web portal, Noida
His performance was light-like-a feather Kuchipudi by N.Gururaj – NarthakiAshish Mohan Khokar, Bengaluru
Gururaju’s experiment with kuchipudi – as the dancer’s body moved with a great
deal of restraint, he was able to distil the very underpinnings of his form in a
penetrating, inward looking re-examination of it. Infused with a modern energy,
the work offered a dip into the essence of kuchipudi in its earthiest and most
virtuosic configuration. Gururaju was able to inform the piece with a sense of
purpose and clarity – The Telegraph – Kathakali Jana – Kolkata.
“Splendid is the word that sums up the chic performance of Bengaluru based
Gururaju. The moment he glided onto the stage, he at once captured the
imagination of the audience with his impeccable movements, salutary gestures
and unparalleled abhinaya. In the climactic end, the dancer portrays himself as
experiencing the vision of Lord Krishna in a blissful state. With his remarkable
abhinaya, Gururaju left an indelible mark in the minds of the audience, thus
introducing Kuchipudi dance form to the Jammu audience – Narthaki.com,
Velcheti Subrahmanyam, Senior Cultural Correspondent, Jammu & Kashmir.
N Gururaju, the true torch bearer of Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi, performed two of
her choreographies strictly adhering to her style of Kuchipudi dance. Gururaju is
known for his powerful performances. Standing as Lord Vishnu, Gururaju looked
divine on stage when the lights played with the shadows – Narthaki.com,
Madhuri Sarkar, Bangalore
Gururaju enchanted the audience with his vivacious performance; his jumps and
vibrant movements revealed the masculine vigour and vitality. He performed
“Neelamegha sareera” Tarangam with professional ease and expertise –
Narthaki.com, Vijay Shankar, Gujarath
The Only male Kuchipudi dancer of the Girnar festival, disciple of Guru
Vyjayanthi Kashi, Gururaju will enchant the audience with his vivacious
performance – Newsband – Navi Mumbai.
Gururaju’s choice of abhinaya very well justified the diverse dance pieces he
presented and we strongly recommend him as an artist to be watched
repeatedly- India International Centre, New Delhi
Sandhya Tandavam was outstanding and a new element added to Kuchipudi
performance seen in the north and proved his mettle as a dancer in this
energetic choreography – Narthaki.com – Abhinaya Nagajyothy – Researcher –
New Delhi
In Dover Lane Music Conference Gururaju, wove magic with his presentation of
Vyjayanthi Kashi’s outstanding choreography. The sharpness and precision of his
movements demonstrated rare diligence while his use of space had both the
neatness and finesse of a fine performer – The Telegraph News – Kathakali
Jana, Kolkata
His abundant energy and considerable skills made him stand out to be the best
performer of the evening at Dover Lane Music Conference – Narthaki.com –
Padma Sri Dr. Utpal K Banergee, Kolkata
Gururaju from Bangalore, impressed the audience with his performance at the
three-day cultural extravaganza – The Hitavada – Art Critic, Nagpur
The dancer has to maintain perfect rhythm and balance too which is not an
easy task. He performed with ease and perfection. Gururaju can definitely be
among the main rank of dancers – Narthaki.com – Vijay Shankar, Mumbai
Gururaju making his kuchipudi recital rich in flavour. The performance was good
in patches with some well executed dance phrases – The Hindu, Hareesh N
Nampoothiri, Kerala
The highlight of the festival this year was the celebration of the strength and
beauty of male dancers. Kuchipudi dancer Gururaju from Bangalore and some
other male dancers were show stealers – The Hindu, Shyamhari Chakra, North
Bengal
Gururaju enacted abhinaya with restraint and with suggestive sanchari bhavas
without exaggerating emotions – Narthaki.com – PadmaShri Dr Sunil Kothari, Bengaluru
Gururaju impresses with artistry of movement and his performance was diligent
and mudras were well depicted and strikingly visible – Narthaki.com –
Bhavanvitha Venkat, Vizag
Gururaju’s good health and physique, the hasta accompanied by a bhanga,
appearing with the words Gururaju, involves the hands raised above the head
where hey stylistically come together to tie a knot. The result is a fascinatingly
esoteric image and stays with me despite remaining just that – Ativilambit
Blogspot – New Delhi
Gururaju was floating on stage not dancing kuchipudi, such effortless dance full
of beauty and joy and depth – Narthaki.com – Ashish Mohan Khokar- Dance
Historian, Bangalore
Gururaju is well trained dancer then turned to a miniature Ramayana Shabdha
and Sadhya Tandava, to which the local viewers are not commonly exposed –
Narthaki.com – Dr. S D Desai, Ahmedabad
Gururaju did his Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi proud and danced with depth –
Narthaki.com– Ashish Mohan Khokar, Dance Historian – Bangalore
Gururaju a student of Vyjayanthi Kashi, he was pretty good with his dancing and
usage of stage was the best part of his performance – Dance in and out- Web
Magazine, Bangalore
The student of Vyjayanthi Kashi has evolved into a mature dancer, was very well
presented by Gururaju – Narthaki.com – Sowmya jayabharathwaj, Aurangabad
Beautiful, neat lines and body work made his dance very enjoyable to Mumbai
audience who does not get to watch kuchipudi very often – Narthaki.com –
Sanjuktawagh, Mumbai
Vibrant Kuchipudi Natya, Young dancer Gururaj stole the show with his typical
kuchipudi natya features – The City Express – Dr. Surya Prasad, Bangalore
Gururaju in his racy, graceful and energetic rendition was marked by vivid and
varied charis and karanas accounting for an excellent nritta – The New Indian express.
ACHIVEMENTS
• He is a graded artist of Doordharshan Kendra, Bangalore 2014
• He is a recipient of ‘RAM GOPAL BEST MALE SOLOIST NATIONAL AWARD
2017” from Attendance, Ashish Khokar, and Bangalore.
• He is a recipient of “Guru Kadirvelu Pillai Nrithya Sadhaka 2016” from
Brahmanad, Mumbai.
• He is a recipient of “ Natyakala Chatura” from MN Gurukul, Mangalore.
• He is a recipient of “Nalanda Nrithya Nipuna” an award instituted by the
Nalanda Dance Research Centre, Mumbai.
• He is a receiving the title “Nruthya Jyothi” from Naveen Kalakar, Orissa
• He is a recipient of “Naatya Kumara” an award from NMDA, Vizag.
• The Best Student Award 2016 from Shambhavi School, Bangalore.
• He is a recipient of “Kalpataru Kala Sanman” from KPF, Solapur
• He is a recipient of “ Nupura Kala Ratna 2017” from NFAA, Mumbai.
• He is a recipient of “Padma Sri Salu Marada Thimma Gaurava Puraskar
2019” from SMT Foundation, Bangalore.
• He is a recipient of “Atulya Nrithya Prathiba 2020” from Prathibotsav,
Nagpur.
• He is a recipient “Vocation Excellence National Award 2021” from NISED
Bangalore.
• He is a recipient of “Girnar Ratna 2022” from Patel Cultural Foundation,
Mumbai
• He is a recipient of “IIDF 2023” Annual Award from OrissaHe is a recipient of “Sourya Vibhushan 2023” from Alluriseetharam
Cultural Trust, Andhra Pradesh
• He is a recipient of “Aryabhata International Award 2024” from
Aryabhata, Karnataka
• He is a recipient of “Bharat Gaurav Nritya Samman 2024” from
Debhadara, New Delhi
• He is a recipient of “Atal National Award 2025” from Atal Bharat Sports
& Cultural Association, India
• He is a recipient of “Outstanding Shikshaka Pura.
