Gurus

Suba Parmar

Suba Parmar, based in New Jersey, (originally from Chennai, India) is the most sought-after choreographer, artistic director, teacher and dancer. She has studied the vintage Pandanallur / Tanjore style of Bharatanatyam (Classical dance of South India) known for its repertory grace and tradition at its finest. She is the direct disciple of Kalaimamani Guru Indra Rajan and Pandanallur Srinivasa Pillai, both acclaimed doyens of this respected tradition. As a result of her commitment to this fine art, Suba is recognized as a pioneer in the arts community.  Her creations reflect a wide range of artistic expressions ranging from traditional works to inter-cultural collaborations with artists of diverse cultures.  With a legacy spanning over five decades, and over 750 performances internationally, Guru Suba has received numerous awards and honors from prestigious institutions in the US and India. Her brain child “Shubanjali”, a premier non-profit performing arts institute, is celebrating its 32nd year – a testament of love and dedication to Bharatanatyam in the US.

Chitra Ramaswamy

Chitra Ramaswamy was introduced to classical dance at the age of nine and began her education in the Kalakshetra style under the able guidance of her Guru Padmashree Adyar.K.Laksmanan of Chennai. She trains under Kalaimamani Jayanthi Subramaniam and mentored by Kalaimamani Priyadarsini Govind and Shri Shijith Nambiar.

Chitra’s passion towards the art drives her to think out of the box and brings various themes that could help even novice audience appreciate the art form in its full grandeur. Her strength lies in being able to visualize the theme/story in the eyes of an on-looker which helps her to create the imagery in a manner that is most vivid and picturesque. It’s her mission to be able to take this form to the next level of being able to depict a combination of modern and traditional themes which can lure the next generation and thereby also introduce them to our rich culture and heritage without losing out on the crux of the art.  She has toured various places in India for performances including Solo and dance dramas. Chitra pursued dance avidly even as she was earning a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in BITS, Pilani. Chitra has played leading parts in the dance dramas staged by other dance companies like Nrithyanjali Institute of Dance, Bharatha Choodamani, Padmni Institute of Dance. Chitra instituted “Sanskriti School Of Dance“ in New Jersey in 2005. The school offers programs in Bharatanatyam with the aim of spreading the richness and grandeur of this art form and yet retaining its pureness and tradition. She also plans to inculcate the precious art to various young students as devotedly and diligently as her Gurus.

Akhila and Chetan

Akhila has been passionately trained in Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Guru Karnataka Kalashree Smt. Revathi Narsimhan in the Vazhavoor Baani for 20 plus years, she has performed at sabhas, conferences, temple festivals, and community programs in India and the US.  Chetan is a dedicated student of Bharatanatyam, having trained under Guru Uma Rao, Kalakshetra for 30 years. He has actively participated in several classical showcases and cultural events, Their dance reflects both discipline and passion for the art form.  They train and perform under the banner of Kalagangothri. Kalagangothri is a reputed institution where they train youngsters in Edison, NJ. 

Shobitha Arun

Shobitha Arun, a proud descendant of Adyar K. Lakshmanan, is a passionate Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher pursuing a Ph.D. She founded Arudhra Saai Natyasala, inspiring students across the USA and India.

Lavanya Mahadevan

Lavanya Mahadevan has been teaching bharatnatyam and Carnatic music for the past 17 yrs. She learnt bharatanatyam under Smt.Ratnam Jabardhanan and carnatic vocal under the  instruction and guidance from  late Smt. Rajeswari Neelakanthan who was an A grade Radio Artist in Trichy. Lavanya has a masters degree in bharatanatyam and is a National Scholarship awardee for Music and holds diploma in Carnatic music . She has participated in lot of prestigious festivals in India and recorded few Malayalam album songs . She started Kala aradhana dance and music academy in 2008.

Deepa Mahadevan

Having undergone immersive training in India, Movement Researcher, Dr. Deepa Mahadevan has been a professional dance practitioner for over three decades. She has been teaching Bharatanatyam dance to students from K-12 for over two decades. She has received the ‘Significant teacher’ award from Young Arts Society. She is a recipient of the Mellon Public Scholarship. She was recently awarded the Individual arts fellowship by the NJ arts council for choreography. She completed her PhD in Performance Studies from University of California Davis and her research draws heavily from her experience as a dance educator of a traditional form in a North American socio-cultural context. She is the founder and director of her dance school, Tiruchitrambalam and the arts education non-profit, Matrusena, where critical research and movement inform each other to create meaningful work for young audiences. 

Aparna Ram 

Aparna Ram began her Bharatanatyam journey at the age of five under the legendary Kalaimamani Smt. Ranganayaki Jayaraman, founder of the prestigious Sri Saraswathy Gana Nilayam in Chennai. With a strong foundation in traditional training, Aparna blossomed into a dedicated performer from a young age.  As a teenager, she gave numerous solo and group performances across India, Colombo, Mauritius, and the United States. She has performed at esteemed platforms such as the Konark Dance Festival, Chidambaram Natyanjali Festival, Iyal Isai Nadaga Manram, Chennai Doordarshan, and almost all major Sabhas in Chennai. Aparna has also been an integral part of several renowned dance productions of Sri Saraswathy Gana Nilayam.

Anuradha Renganathan.

Anuradha Renganathan began learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 4, under the tutelage of Smt. Madhavi Chandrasekar (Alumni of Kalakshetra & Dr. Padma Subramaniyam).
Anu aunty’s first love of dance continued well into her teens and she decided to pursue it as her career. She did her advanced level training at KALAKSHETRA, Chennai under the able guidance of pioneers such as Smt. Pushpa Shankar, Prof. A. Janardhanan, Smt. Krishnaveni Lakshmanan, Smt. Vijayalakshmi Krishnaswamy, Shri Sheejith Krishna, and Shri Mohanan. She also learnt Nattuvangam (rendering dance cymbals) from Smt. Kamalarani, who was the first female Nattuvanar, & Shri Sheejith Krishna at Kalakshetra.   After receiving her Post graduation diploma in Bharatanatyam, she performed all over India and Sri Lanka for numerous dance festivals.  Anu continued teaching at Kalakshetra for 2 years.  She was assistant curator of the Rukmini Devi photo biographic exhibition in New Delhi with Dr. Sunil Kothari at the Rukmini Devi Centenary celebration in 2004.  Eventually she moved to New Jersey where, after marriage, she started Bharata Kalakshetra School of Fine Arts in 2006. Students of the Bharatakalakshetra School of Fine Arts have won multiple awards in Bharatanatyam competitions across the globe, and have performed widely across the tri-state area.  Students at Bharatakalakshetra not only learn dance, but are also introduced to yoga, body conditioning, Hindu mythology, dance theory, nattuvangam, and aspects of layam which pertain to dance.

Smt. Radhamani Varadhachary

Radhamani Varadhachary is the Founder and Artistic Director of Shree Nrithya Niketan, New Jersey, where she has been passionately propagating Bharathanatyam and nurturing the talents of numerous disciples. Trained in the traditional Tanjore style, Radhamani began her dance journey under Dr. Sinduri Jayasinghe at Savitry Dance Academy, Chennai, and further honed her artistry under Smt. Thejaswini Raj at Shivajyothi Dance Academy, New Jersey. She is currently refining her art under the esteemed guidance of Sri. Shankar Kandaswamy.

Radhamani holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and an Associate Degree with high honors in Bharathanatyam from Alagappa University. Alongside her deep-rooted commitment to teaching, she has also collaborated with artists of international repute on various dance productions and thematic presentations. She has performed as a guest artist at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious platforms for Indian classical arts in North America.  She is the Founder & Artistic Director of Shree Nrithya Niketan, New Jersey

Through Shree Nrithya Niketan, Radhamani creates a nurturing and disciplined environment for students of all ages and levels. The academy’s curriculum blends tradition with modern pedagogy, focusing on strong fundamentals, intricate footwork, expressive abhinaya, and cultural storytelling. With her dedication and expertise, Radhamani continues to inspire the next generation of dancers while upholding the timeless beauty and depth of Bharathanatyam.