Medha Yodh

July 31, 1927 (age 79)

Yodha began dancing before she turned five years old. Yodh became fascinated with Bharatanatyam, one of India"s best known forms of classical dance, early in life. Despite her interest in dance, Medha Yodh education"s was heavily focused on science. She continued her education and received her master"s from Stanford University in California. I grew up in British India, and I was expected to learn the arts, to go into the sciences and to travel abroad. Medha Yodh traveled extensively outside of India during her younger years. Her travels exposed her to different forms of modern and world styles of dance. Ultimately, Yodh became a student of Tanjore Balasaraswati, one of the most important Indian dancers of her time, while visiting Connecticut. She became a lifelong student and disciple of Balasaraswati. The couple later divorced. Yodh became a faculty member at University of California, Los Angeles in 1976, and focused on teaching Balasaraswati"s values and dance styles. She remained at University of California, Los Angeles until her retirement from the school in 1994. She continued to serve as an adviser for a number of University of California, Los Angeles organizations after her retirement, including Dance Kaleidoscope series. Medha Yodh created an academically well received documentary film in 1987. The film, entitled Garba-Ras: A Glimpse Into Gujarati Culture focused on the Garba, a traditional Gujarati dance. Yodh continued to dance throughout California following her retirement. A 2000 Los Angeles Times review on her performance at the "Spirit Dances" series at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica referred to her as "looking seriously possessed with hearty foot slapping and filigreed fingers." Medha Yodh continued to teach privately until 2002, when she moved from Oakland to San Diego, California. Medha Yodh died of failing health on July 11, 2007, at her daughter"s, Kamal Muilenburg, home in San Diego. She was 79 years old. Her son, Eric von Essen, a jazz bassist, died in 1997.

Medha Yodh

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teacher Bharatanatyam dancer

Background

Medha Yodh was born on July 31, 1927, in the city of Ahmedabad, which is located in the present day state of Gujarat.

Education

Yodha received as Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Bombay.

Career

Yodha began dancing before she turned five years old. Yodh became fascinated with Bharatanatyam, one of India"s best known forms of classical dance, early in life. Despite her interest in dance, Medha Yodh education"s was heavily focused on science.

She continued her education and received her master"s from Stanford University in California.

I grew up in British India, and I was expected to learn the arts, to go into the sciences and to travel abroad. Medha Yodh traveled extensively outside of India during her younger years.

Her travels exposed her to different forms of modern and world styles of dance. Ultimately, Yodh became a student of Tanjore Balasaraswati, one of the most important Indian dancers of her time, while visiting Connecticut.

She became a lifelong student and disciple of Balasaraswati.

The couple later divorced. Yodh became a faculty member at University of California, Los Angeles in 1976, and focused on teaching Balasaraswati"s values and dance styles. She remained at University of California, Los Angeles until her retirement from the school in 1994.

She continued to serve as an adviser for a number of University of California, Los Angeles organizations after her retirement, including Dance Kaleidoscope series.

Medha Yodh created an academically well received documentary film in 1987. The film, entitled Garba-Ras: A Glimpse Into Gujarati Culture focused on the Garba, a traditional Gujarati dance.

Yodh continued to dance throughout California following her retirement. A 2000 Los Angeles Times review on her performance at the "Spirit Dances" series at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica referred to her as "looking seriously possessed with hearty foot slapping and filigreed fingers."

Medha Yodh continued to teach privately until 2002, when she moved from Oakland to San Diego, California.

Medha Yodh died of failing health on July 11, 2007, at her daughter"s, Kamal Muilenburg, home in San Diego.

She was 79 years old. Her son, Eric von Essen, a jazz bassist, died in 1997.

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