Prateeksha Kashi was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, into the family of Gubbi Veeranna.[2] She is the daughter of the Kuchipudi dancer Vyjayanthi Kashi[3][4] and Vijaya Kashi, a television and theatre artist. She started her dance training at the age of five, under the guidance of her mother.[5] At the age of thirteen, Prateeksha completed the Kuchipudi dance exams.[6]
Career
In acting
Prateeksha Kashi portrayed the female lead role in Priyamanasam, a Sanskrit film based on the life od Malayalam poet Unnayi Variyar.[7] She also played the lead role "Mohini" in a Kannada serial named Kaadambari Kanaja telecasted on Udaya TV[8] and the lead role Akkamahadevi in Hejjegurthugalu.[9] Along with her mother, Vyjayanthi Kashi, she acted in Mathana.
Kashi also appeared in a short film series on social awareness titled Dwar: Door For Transformation.[10] She acted in a Kannada film Prakruthi, which won the National Award for Adaptive Screenplay 2013 and received the Special Jury Award in the Bangalore International Film Festival 2014.[11]
Productions
Shambhavi Dance Theatre produced a dance DVD, The Magic of Kuchipudi that features Prateeksha Kashi. The DVD was released by Yamini Krishnamurthy as a part of "Nayika-Excellence Personified," which was organised on the occasion of Woman's Day on 8 March 2014 in Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan, Bangalore.[12] Kuchipudi was the artistic director of the Shambhavi School of Dance[13] and the former chairperson of Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy.[14]Essence of Life is a multimedia production that is the brainchild of Dega Deva Kumar Reddy. They tried to spread the teachings of JK, including Kuchipudi. Prateeksha Kashi was chosen to choreograph and present the teachings of JK in this production. She performed "Can We Live Without Problems".[15]
The Magic of Kuchipudi dance DVD featuring Prateeksha Kashi, produced by Shambhavi Dance Theatre
Prateeksha Kashi was recently selected for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar award by Central Sangeeth Natak Akademi, New Delhi. In 2011, she received the 37th annual Aryabhata International Award for excellence in Kuchipudi.[31] She holds the titles of Nalanda Nritya Nipuna, instituted by the Nalanda Dance Research Centre,[32] and Nritya Jyoti, awarded at the Naveen Kalakar.[33]
Prateeksha was the winner of the dance competition conducted by Pandit Jasraj's Foundation in New York.[34] She is a recipient of a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.[6] In 2014, she was honored with Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar in the field of dance by the Government of Maharashtra.[35] Prateeksha is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Government of India.[31]
