Video of 92-yr-old Bhanumathi Rao performing Bharatanatyam goes viral

A video that went viral recently turns the spotlight on 92-year-old dancer and theatre actor, Bhanumathi Rao.

Bhanumathi Rao, Bharatanatyam dancer, 92 year old dancer, 92 year old bhanumathi rao, maya krishna rao

92-year-old dancer and thespian Bhanumathi Rao performing in Bangalore in December 2015. (Screenshot)

Bhanumathi Rao — silver-haired, wrinkled and wearing a pink sari and gold necklace — transforms on stage into a graceful mother calling out to baby Krishna in the classic Bharatanatyam piece, titled ‘Krishna ni begane baaro’. A video of her performing in Bangalore in December was uploaded on Facebook by her daughter, Maya Krishna Rao. The dancer had turned 92 just the day before.

Watch the video here.

The video immediately went viral, garnering over 100,000 views overnight, and almost 600,000 by now, with over 10,000 shares. Maya had published the video with the message: “My mum, Bhanumathi Rao performed this on Dec. 5 in Bangalore, a day after celebrating her 92nd birthday.”

Bhanumathi’s hearing, sight and memory have weakened with age but what strikes viewers of the video is the lyricism with which she performs the piece. Her Bharatanatyam and fusion performances became a part of the Big Apple’s art buzz and she attracted foreign and Indian audiences in huge numbers — among them Jawaharlal Nehru — to her shows.

Read more about Bhanumathi Rao here: Age on Her Side

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Bharatanatyam

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