His Reviews

A yet greater wealth of stylistic details shone in "ChakravahaPallavi," danced by Mr. Acharya. Usually we see the Odissi style (from the eastern Indian state of Orissa or Odisha) performed by women, but its tradition of male performers (from boyhood on) is long. Mr. Acharya's refined sculptural firmness, complex gestural eloquence, subtle musical phrasing and articulate grace are enough to extend most ideas of masculinity. Bare-chested, with silver armlets and belt above blue leggings, with unusual lines of makeup on forehead and upper lip, he connects virility to virtuoso delicacy. Fingers are frequently individualized.
The coordination of separate body parts is exquisite — notably in tautly rhythmic phrases when he elaborately extends right hand and right foot in different ways, then does the same with left hand and left foot. And he, too, has stillness and repose. Just standing on one foot, he keeps one arm upheld in a perfect arc, and looks upward from under its frame into the distance: a wonderful image. Alastair Macaulay, New York Times. August 2013

Rahul Acharya'scalibre had the audience gazing in utter disbelief. This pieces were marked by his admirable artistry and aesthetics cut to perfection. The 'Sthayi' in raagSankarabharan was a pure dance (nritta-based) number where he excelled in footwork. Each time he undertook a perambulation around the stage, the tribhanga was intact with the sway which did not in the least appear feminine. On the other hand, Rahul seemed to have mastered the art of chiselled masculinity in this utterly 'lasya' type of dance which is remarkable.
The still postures were like temple frescos and sculptures in live. One could literally draw the curves and the firm stances of his body kinetics as he danced his way to our heartsHis varied abhinaya to the refrain of the ashtapadi, was very convincing. The 'AshtaShambo' (eight verses eulogizing lord Shiva) was the highlight of the evening.
To the sound of a conch, this time around, unlike the previous Ashtapadi, Rahul inculcated a brusque touch with quick sway to depict the tandava attributes of Shiva. The jatis for the second verse were executed with energetic footwork bringing in the male facet of the lord. One could glean the total metamorphosis of the Krsna of Ashtapadi to a valorous, dynamic force called Shiva. The rhythmic elegance and lightning speed with which the artiste pictured the churning of the mythical milky ocean was wonderful to say the least. There was subtlety in his depiction, amazing agility as he undertook the freezed postures and total commitment which was visible in every move of his. Rahul is poised to emerge as the pole star on the Odissi firmament. Ranee Kumar, The Hindu, August 2013.

"Jhelum Paranjape, Vaibhav Arekar, Daksha Mashruwala — these are just a few names among the many dancers who have performed at the Raindrops Festival in its earlier years. On the eve of the 22nd edition of Raindrops Festival, Kathak exponent Uma Dogra takes pride in the fact that many such dancers who have performed at the stage of Raindrops have gone on to become popular names in the field of Indian classical dance.
Among the many talented artists who will be performing at the festival starting tomorrow, Rahul Acharya is the only male dancer to take on the stage and also perhaps the only one who Dogra had to chase to be a part of the festival: "I have been trying to reach him for three years. Every year, when I would call him, he would say he is in Japan or America. And I wondered when does this boy perform in India?" says Dogra, breaking into a laugh.

"He is a very talented artist and has performed in numerous festivals across the world. Many have spoken highly of him. His style is not Kelucharan Mohapatra's, but he is from the school of Durga Charan Ranbir, which also makes his style a little different," adds Dogra. Finally, this year she managed to get in touch with the talented Odissi dancer who readily agreed to perform at the festival.
adds Eminent Kathak Guru Uma Dogra.(10-7-2012)"

"India's renowned Odissi dancer, Rahul Acharya will perform at the Plaza de Montrose, Chaguanas at 6.30 pm at an event organised by the The Mahatma Gandhi Institute in collaboration with the Indian High Commission's office.

Acharya has travelled around the world showcasing his skills in this ancient genre of dance. According to the Indian High Commissioner to TT, Malay Mishra, Acharya is known for executing this style of dance with beauty, artistry, technical skill, and a spiritual force that transport his viewers into a heavenly world.By Newsday(10-7-2012)"

"On the 2nd day, solo performer Rahul Acharya, disciple of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, performed Krishna Mangalacharan with elan, embellishing it with Sabdaswarapata energetically, bringing out fine texture. Pallavi in Chakravak raga had exquisite vakshachalan, torso movements, firm chauka, square position, ekapadabhramari, revolution on one foot, also reverse viparitabhramari, displaying strong foundation. Placing arm on waist and having exquisite neck movement, he often framed his face with raised arms in mushti and suchi hasta. Bhagirathi's song "Mina Nayana" dwelling upon the vipralambhashringara, lover in separation, unable to bear the thunder of clouds, "Ghana Ghanasuni" et al was enjoyable. He is a rising star from young generation, winning Sangeet NatakAkademi's Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, and winning laurels for performances within India and abroad. I have seen his performances in America and am favourably impressed. He has sound understanding of text, be it in Oriya or Sanskrit and that is an asset which he knows shall stand by him in his expressional numbers."– By Dr. Sunil Kothari: narthaki.com – Mukteshwara Festival, January 2012

"The stage opens to dim blue lights falling on two columns that have been placed one either side of the stage, evoking the vision of a temple at dawn. Acharya enters the stage and the spirituality within his performance is palpable and embodied. His chauka, the traditional square-bend position of odissi dance, is maintained with the feet closer together than I have seen before¬—they are only a few inches apart, as opposed to the traditional foot— and yet the depth of bend is not only impressive but highly enviable! The emphasis on the masculine aspects of Odissi as well as Acharya's own idiosyncratic embodiment of the movements and poses, clearly filtered through his dedicated yoga practice, present an Odissi that is at once sweet and strong. In the close of his final piece, Acharya in the glow of a dim red light, turned his back to the audience with legs apart, raised his arms above his head in prayer and slowly arched his upper body until the tip of his pressed palms touched the floor behind his feet, creating a full arch; a fitting and breathtaking end to a beautiful and extremely well received performance." - By Scheherazaad Cooper :PULSE - GAIT to the Spirit Festival, November 2011.

"Still, it was easy to see that the Bharatanatyam and Odissi dances on Wednesday were quite unlike the Kathak solo in many respects. Odissi (from East India) was represented by a male-female duet, "ArabhiPallavi," danced by Rahul Acharya (bare-chested, very slender-waisted, in blue pantaloons) and NandiniSikand (in purple and pink) of Sakshi Productions. I adored the work's firmly statuesque positions, its riveting use (occasionally) of the pelvis and upper torso tilted drastically sideways away from each other, its flow of gestures, its extraordinary side-to-side language of the eyes (heightened by full eyeliner for both sexes). And I loved the way — in rhythm, spatial design and mutual address — the duet kept changing. (Though the two dancers often do the same movements, or similar ones in question-and-answer dialogue, the man sometimes kneels while addressing her: it's a compliment she may not return.)" – By Alistair Macaulay: New York Times – Erasing Border, August 2009.

"He is very sincere and hardworking. Even during practice sessions, he would perform with all the seriousness of a stage show. Moreover, he has a thirst for knowledge on dance that helps him understand it better" – Guru Durga Charan Ranbir as reported by Shyamahari Chakra – The New India Express, Bhubaneshwar, 29th July 2005.

"As a teen, Acharya recalls, he gazed longingly out his guru's window as his classmates played cricket after school. Even today, his chosen art form, with its elastic aesthetic and slim, feminine ideals, requires almost unimaginable discipline." – By Janet Smith for Straight, 3rd November, 2011

"Consistently rediscovering the dance's original form throughout the texts of the NatyaShastra, he has been implementing the basic tenets of the text in his performances – and passing it over to his students." – By Kasturi Ray, The New Sunday Express, 10th July 2011

"In a sterling all round performance, Rahul Acharya's fleeting depiction of Shiva's wrath against Kamadeva was searingly powerful" – By LeelaVenkataraman, The Hindu, 27th January 2006

"Rahul Acharya emerged winner of this year's prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Prativa Puraskar from Central Sangeet NatakAkademi, the premiere body of performing arts for Odissi dance. Ask Rahul what prompted him to take up the risky career of a male dancer and he replies 'It is the challenge that attracted me. Besides, I wanted to break the taboo associated with male dancers. I am confident that I would click in this career.'" – By Shyamhari Chakra, 2009

"The seventh in the series of the famous ashtapadis, the episode delineated Krishna pleading for innocence in front of an angry Radha and Rahul was honest to the characterisation." – By Shyamhari Chakra, ExpressBuzz, 26th November, 2010