Bharathanatyam A step apart

PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES

Sumana Chintapalli is a third-year public relations major at Boston University. She began her training at the age of seven with Bana Ramnath of the Natyanjali School of Dance in San Antonio, TX. She has also learned from the Dhananjayans at various camps and workshops, as well as at their school Bharathakalanjali in Chennai, India. Sumana performed her arangetram in August 2000 under the guidance of Bana Ramnath and the Dhananjayans. Sumana has performed in numerous festivals and programs in Texas.

Aparna Keshaviah * has trained in Bharatanatyam, for the past 20 years. She learned principally from Ranee Ramaswamy, co-founder of the Ragamala Dance Theatre and disciple of Padmashri Alarmel Valli, the leading exponent of the Pandanallur style. Aparna has performed and given lecture demonstrations in various cities in the U.S. and in India. Currently, she teaches Bharatanatyam classes in Brookline, MA and performs in and around Boston. In addition to Bharatanataym, Aparna has dabbled in other dance styles, including Indian folk, Latin, Hip-hop, Mediterranean, Flamenco, and Tap. She also holds a Master's degree in Biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health and is a Biostatistician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA . www.geocities.com/akeshaviah/

Maya Nambisan * studied Bharatanatyam under K.P. and Katherine Kunhiraman and has taken advanced classes with the Dhananjayans. She has performed on both coasts and in India. Most notably, she participated in and helped choreograph Dan Chumley's 1995 San Francisco Shakespeare in the Park series: "As You Like It" using traditional Bharatanatyam and Kathakali movements. She created, produced and participated in the first annual 'Coffee House' at Yale University School of Medicine: a fundraiser that benefited Shrujan Trust, a relief organization distributing aid during the Gujurat earthquake. Recently, she appeared in Leela Dance Theatre's 2002 production of Gajamukham. In addition to Bharatanatyam, Maya has learned Kathakali, Mohiniattam, jazz/modern , African and Indian folk dance. Maya received her Master's degree in Public Health from Yale University in 2002 and currently manages the North American AED Pregnancy Registry at Mass. General Hospital. She founded and is a chairwoman of SAKI 2004, a South Asian political organization www.saki2004.com.

Meera Pathmarajah * is a disciple of her cousin, Shrimathi Gowri Arulmoli, and her Guru, Adyar K. Lakshman. She performed her Arangetram in 1993. Since 1990 she has also had the privelege of being trained by Shrimati Shantha and Sri V.P. Dhananjayan at their annual Natya Adyayana Gurukulam camp held in Buckingham, VA. Meera graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a Bachelor's Degree in psychology and South Asian studies. After college, she completed a fellowship program to study Tamil in Madurai, India. In India she had the opportunity to receive further training from the Dhananjayans in Chennai and attended their international dance camp held at the Bhaaskara institute in Kerala. In June, Meera will complete her Master of Education degree in International Education Policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Bevin Stark grew up in Brewster and was introduced to Bharatanatyam during her freshman year at Skidmore College in New York. Upon completion of her double major in Bio-Psychology and dance, she traveled to India to continue her study of Bharatanatyam. Bevin was accepted to Kalakshetra, College of Fine Arts, in Chennai, India, a school founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale which is world famous for its teaching and preservation of classical South Indian arts. Bevin completed a four-year course at Kalakshetra and returned home to share her love of this great dance form. She has introduced Indian culture through dance to area school children supported by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, performs locally for public and private gatherings, has been featured on the Spirit of Dance T.V. program, and is available for teaching private classes.

Shalu Umapathy began her tutelage in Bharatanatyam under Jyothi Raghavan (disciple of Rajarathnam in the Vazhuvoor style) and completed her arangetram in 1993. She later had the opportunity to learn under various Kalakshetra experts, including the Dhananjayans, MV Narasimhachari, Narendra and Mahalakshmi, Radhika from the Trio sisters, and several others. Shalu has performed in many of Jyothi Raghavan's productions, including several lead roles in the play "Shiva Leela". She recently graduated from Boston University with a degree in Management and currently works as an analyst at a marketing consulting firm. She is also an avid student and perfomer of carnatic vocal and veena.

Sonal Bhatt* has been a Bharatanatyam dancer for over 24 years, performing and competing throughout the United States. She was trained under the guidance of Guru Jyothi Raghavan. Her recent interests have led her to writing and choreographing pieces that explore a contemporary context for this ancient art form, in addition to exploring other dance forms. In January of this year, Sonal was an Artist-In-Residence, choreographing and performing for the Silk Road Project, a cultural exchange directed by renowned artist Yo Yo Ma. Outside of her dance life, Sonal lives in New York City and works as an exhibit developer for the Wildlife Conservation Society. She has also published a how-to art book entitled "Totally Beads" and is currently working on her second book.

( * indicates choreographers)

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