Varunika Raja is a passionate upcoming and emerging dancer and lives in Bay Area, California. Varunika started learning dance at the age of 4 and completed her Arangetram in 2008 at the age of 11. She has given various performances and participated in competitions and has won hearts and minds of rasikas with her inimitable Tanjore style, nimble footwork. Varunika is known for her dynamic stage presence, exquisite abhinaya, precise footwork and soulful rendering of the musical content of Bharatanatyam. Varunika has done numerous performances in US and abroad especially during Chennai Margazhi Season in the prestigious Sabhas. Varunika will be attending freshmen at Arch Bishop Mitty High School, San Jose, California in Fall 2011.She is also pursuing diploma in Bharatanatyam from Alagappa Performing Arts Academy. Her journey as an artist has brought countless moments of her unique interpretation of the divine art of Bharatanatyam.
Performances
- Dance on Alameda – 2007 @ San Jose, CA
- Natya Raaga – OOSAT Dance Competition – 2007, San Jose, CA
- Karthigai Festival – 2006, 2007 and 2008 @ Shiva Murugan Temple, Concorde, CA
- Arudra Natyanjali – 2006, 2007 and 2008 @ Livermore Temple, CA
- Echoes of India – 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 @ KQED, San Jose, CA
- Asian Family Heritage Festival – 2006, 2007, 2008 @ KTSF 26, Santa Clara, CA
- Navarathri Festival – 2007, 2008 @ Sunnyvale, CA
- Ramayana Dance Ballet – 2008 @ San Jose, CA
- World Ethnic Dance Festival – 2009 @ San Francisco, CA
- Rhythmic Bells – 2009 @ Cupertino, CA
- Papanasam Sivan Dance Competition – 2008 and 2009, San Jose, CA
- Timeless Journey, Hoover Theatre, 2009, San Jose, CA
- Shiva Murugan Temple Performance – 2010 @ Palo Alto, CA for Shiva Murugan Temple, CA
- Samarpanam II @ Saratoga, CA
- Silicon Valley Film Festival – 2010 @ Santa Clara
Performances in India
- VDS Arts Academy – Dec 25, 2009
- Ranjani Sabha – Dec 27, 2009
- Hamsadhwani – Dec 29, 2009
- Papanasam Sivan Sangeetha Sabha – Jan 3, 2010
- Chennai Margazhi Season 2010
- Rasika Fine Arts, Chennai – Dec 24, 2010
Awards
- First Prize Award at Naatya Raaga 2007 (OOSAT)
- First Prize Award at Papanasam Sivan Dance Competition – 2008
- Second Prize Award at Papanasam Sivan Dance Competition – 2009
- First Prize Award at Papanasam Sivan Dance Competition – 2010
Accolades
- “Varunika has a neat footwork and coordinates well to my tune” – Vocalist Murali Parthasarathy
- “Varunika’s Abhinaya and Nritta combined with her beauty was amazing that i cannot take my eyes off” – Kausalya Hart – Professor, U.C. Berkeley – Dept. of Asian Studies
- “Varunika’s Bhavam made me feel the presence of Devi in your Sri Chakra Raja Padam” – Shobana Dance Critic, Bay Area, USA
- “The varnam was presented in a reposeful manner and the jathis sparkled with wit and wisdom” – Vocalist Ashok Subramanyam
- “Varunika wows the audience with Bharatanatyam recital” – Thendral Magazine, USA
- “Spell binding performance and your facial expressions was a treat indeed” – Papanasam Ashok Ramani
- “Promising Budding Artist and has the technique to put the audience to glue into their Seats” – Girija Seshadri – President Rasika Fine Arts, Chennai
