A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, brought traditional Gaudiya Vaisnava culture, understanding, and practice to the world’s nations. It is because of Prabhupada’s contribution that Campakalata Fiorentino grew to know Lord Krishna and want to glorify Him with traditional dance.
.
Pancha and Yamuna (Campaka) dancing at three-years-old
Born in the Hare Krishna Movement, Campakalata would imitate Bharata
Natyam dancing and long for the day when she would dance in the
temple like Sudha Chandrasekhar and her students. At age seven, she
began weekly classes. When she moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina
– far away from her beloved Sudha Aunty at 12 years old – the basic
dance steps she had learned were her link to the dance art and she
never tired of practicing them.
After six long years without a guru, she found Geetha (Rajagopalan)
Murali, a 1990 graduate of Hindu Temple Rhythms, in 1996. Her
passion for Bharata Natyam had only been increased by her separation
from it and she began taking lessons again with renewed vigor.
Though Geetha moved to California some four years later, Campaka was
able to continue her training with Sudha Chandrasekhar through
seasonal workshops in North Carolina and Michigan. Campaka
also had the unique opportunity to briefly train with esteemed Guru
K. Kalyanasundaram Pillai of Bombay, India in the summer of 2003.
With the performance of her Arangetram in 2002, Campakalata became a
fully certified teacher of Bharata Natyam, and has been able to
greatly expand the scope of the dance academy. Presently there are
three levels of students, ranging in age from six to thirty-three,
and an
ever increasing reputation for their religious, cultural,
and aesthetic excellence of expression.
ever increasing reputation for their religious, cultural,
and aesthetic excellence of expression.
Sudha Aunty, Campaka, and Geetha
As Campakalata started to perform at temple worship services and
various local functions, many local residents wanted to become her
students. Soon Padma Inc. had increased its existing cultural
mission to include not only music, art, drama and sculpture, but also
dance. The dance academy soon became one of the primary aspects of
the mission, including
members not only outside of Padma’s academic academy, but also outside of the local
ISKCON temple’s congregation. The dance academy thus quickly assumed an evangelical
function not only for its audiences but also for many of its members.
members not only outside of Padma’s academic academy, but also outside of the local
ISKCON temple’s congregation. The dance academy thus quickly assumed an evangelical
function not only for its audiences but also for many of its members.
Padma Dance Academy is part of the cultural mission of Padma, Inc.
which is a local branch of the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness, ISKCON. The academy functions as a satellite school
of Hindu Temple Rhythms.
eleven-years-old