Jai Govinda is founder of the Jai Govinda Dance Academy and Artistic Director of Mandala Arts and Culture. A leading male exponent of bharata natyam in Canada, his work has been acclaimed both nationally and internationally. Jai Govinda has been teaching and performing bharata natyam for the past 25 years, and is the recipient of the 2006 Isadora Award for Excellence in Teaching.
French Canadian-born Jai Govinda began his dance training at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. He received his initial bharata natyam training from Bangalore gurus Shri U.S. Krishna Rao and Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi, as well as Mrs. Mamata N. Nakra (Montreal). He then continued to study with Delhi gurus Shri K.J. Govindarajan and Smt. Jamuna Krishnan. He also collaborated on choreography concepts with Smt. Jayalakshmi Eshwar (Delhi).
Jai Govinda has been presented extensively across Canada, in India, the United States, and in France. He is a prolific choreographer in the bharata natyam style, and has created multidisciplinary works through collaborations with other professional artists. He has given numerous workshops and lecture demonstrations, and participated in residencies across Canada.
Artists and associations with whom Jai Govinda has collaborated include Vancouver Moving Theatre, Joseph Pepe Danza, École Nationale du Cirque, national figure skater Ravi Wallia, Cyberaj, and new media visual artist jamie griffiths. An active member of Vancouver’s dance community, Jai Govinda is on the Board of Directors of The Dance Centre.
In January 1996, Jai Govinda was invited to perform in India by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, in honor of a visit to India by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Team Canada. After the performance, held at the Meridien Hotel in New Delhi, Dr. V. Ramachandran of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Study requested to approach the stage in order to speak about Jai’s performance. Jai was very touched by Dr. V. Ramachandran’s spontaneous speech, as it affirmed his journey in bharata natyam:
Excellencies, ladies and gentleman. I come from Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, and I have heard this music and seen this form of dance from early childhood for over six decades, and I also claim to follow it rather closely. But may I say how deeply impressed I have been, seeing the performance today by Jai Govinda.
In this particular dance form, men are usually the tutors, and the dancing is done by women. Jai Govinda, though from Canada, has ventured to dance himself, which is rather rare, and has reached a very high level of excellence through his discipline, dedication and devotion to this dance form. I deeply appreciate the qualities through which he has attained this level of excellence, and may I invite you to give this honorary ambassador of Indian culture in Canada a very big hand!
Dr.V. Ramachandran
January 12, 1996. New Delhi, India.