Anuradha Nehru
Artistic Director of Kalanidhi Dance Company and School
Bethesda, MD
Smt. Anuradha Nehru received her initial training in Bharata Natyam under Guru Pakiriswamy Pillai and Smt. Meenakshi. She subsequently trained in Kuchipudi under Guru Krishna Kumar and later under Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, who is the foremost exponent of Kuchipudi today. Anuradha is a dedicate teacher, performer, and choreographer and her efforts have enriched the lives of her many students. She has been recognized by the Governor of Maryland for her “dedicated efforts to promote and preserve the classical dance form ‘Kuchipudi’ for future generations”, and is a recipient of the ‘Teacher Recognition Certificate’ from the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts for encouraging and supporting her students who have been recognized for exceptional artistic achievements. Anuradha worked as an Indian dance consultant to the Shakespeare Folger’s Theater in Washington D.C., and has performed to critical acclaim in India, Europe, Australia, and Indonesia. Most recently, she directed and produced Bhagmati,a dance drama based on the fabled love that founded a city. She is currently the director of Kuchipudi Kalanidhi, a nonprofit organization whose main objective is to share the art of Kuchipudi with American audiences and to develop an appreciation and love for Kuchipudi dance amongst the next generation of young dancers.
This year, her school celebrates 25 years of excellence in Kuchipudi instruction and performance.
For more information on Kalanidhi Dance, please click here.
Recent Washington Post Article on Smt. Anuradha Nehru.
Sasikala Penumarthi
Artistic Director of Academy of Kuchipudi Dance
Atlanta, GA
Sasikala Penumarthi is a leading exponent of Kuchipudi dance. She started her training under the tutelage of Guru Padma Bhushan Vempati Chinna Satyam in Chennai and started the tradition of Kuchipudi dance in Atlanta, GA when she arrived here. With her Guru, she performed in venus all across the world, bringing to life his stories of Chandalika, Hari Vilasam, and Ardha Nareeswara to name a few. She is the Founder and Creative Director of the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, Inc. based in Atlanta, GA, which is soon celebrating 25 years of promoting the love of Kuchipudi for new generations of dancers in the United States. She is currently also an adjunct professor at Emory University, teaching “Introduction of Kuchipudi” to dance students. She is on the Georgia Council for the Arts’ Governor’s Artist Roster for over ten years, performed at the Woodruff Arts Center among many wonderful venues, and is very beloved by her students. For more information on the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance and Sasikala Penumarthi, please click here.
Interview with Khabar Magazine on the Value of Kuchipudi Dance
Jai Kishore Mosalikanti
Choreographer, Artist, and Nattuvanar
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Jai Kishore Mosalikanti is an artiste of excellence.He not only performs original Kuchipudi dance pieces as taught to him by Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, but he also creates new complex and delightful choreographies that have performed at the Ananya Dance Festival and have earned him the Natya Visharada and Yuva Kala Vipanchee awards. His performances are critically acclaimed and his teaching is highly sought and respected. He teaches summer camps and trains students for the debut performances at the Kalanidhi Dance School.
Read more about the visionary work of Jai Kishore Mosalikanti here
Times of India Article On Kishore Mosalikanti and Company at the Ananya Dance Festival, New Delhi
Lavanya Thamire
Company Dancer and Dance Instructor at Kalanidhi Dance School
Bethesda, MD
Lavanya Thamire epitomizes grace and strength in her performances. She began as a student of Kuchipudi with Smt. Bala Kondala Rao while in India and joined as a student at Kalanidhi Dance in 2005. Her dedication and love for the art is evident in her teaching, which she started after her debut dance perfomance, and in her continued passion as a dancer in the Kalanidhi Dance Company. She has toured in New Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad, as well as performed at many prestigious venues in the United States with the company. She also supports the school through her work as the school manager.