Pranita Jain

Pranita Jain Artistic Director of Kalapriya is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and founder of Kalapriya. A graduate of the Center for Indian classical dances in New Delhi, India she trained for nine years with one of India’s foremost Bharata Natyam dancers. She then continued her training with Januna Krishnan, a leading choreographer in India. Pranita continued her artistic growth, relocating to the United States in 1985 receiving a Masters degree in dance ethnography from the University of Illinois. She returns to India annually to perform and exchange ideas with other artists to keep enriching her knowledge of Indian dance and culture. She has performed nationally and internationally and has conducted numerous workshops throughout the United States. She is an eight-time recipient of the Master Teacher Award for m the Illinois Arts Council.

Through Kalapriya Pranita has developed and produced several cross-cultural events incorporating various forms of music and dance including artists from Africa, the Middle East, Polynesian, the Americas, Spain, Indonesian China, Japan and Korea in contemporary and traditional formats showcasing the similarities between the cultures. Underscoring the belief that world cultures do not exist in a vacuum. They are constantly evolving influenced by current issues and cross-cultural exchanges.

Pranita has received several accolades for her work here in Chicago. The first, given by the Consulate of India on behalf of the government of India is the Honor of Distinction for “sustaining and promoting India’s multi-faceted, rich cultural heritage in the United States and for enriching the cultural and social profile of the Indian American Community.” The Swami Narayan Temple in Bartlett Illinois honored Ms. Jain for “promoting Indian culture in America” during their October 2002 celebration of Hindu Festival. Most recently, the venerable Maharaja Gaj Singh of Marwar who is the oldest surviving member of a Royal family dating back to the 15th century recognized Ms. Jain for her artistic accomplishments as the “Dance Jewel of Rajasthan”. Another recent honor of different type came by way of the International Pop Star Shakira when she attended a Kalapriya performance in August 26, 2006. She was so impressed with the company that post-performance she engaged Jain to teach her Bharata Natyam dance moves for her upcoming MTV Video Awards presentation set to air on Thursday, August 31st. Two Kalapriya dancers were featured along with Shakira at the opening of MTV Video Awards presentation of her hit “Hips Don’t Lie” with 5.7 million viewers worldwide tuned in.