Supraja Chittari
Kuchipudi Dancer and Future Physician-in-Training
Supraja began training in Kuchipudi from age nine with Ms. Mallika Ramprasad at Bharata Mallika School of Kuchipudi Dance. She received more advanced training with Ms. Anuradha Nehru at Kalanidhi Dance for the past seven years and performed her solo debut recital, or Rangapravesam, in July 2014. Supraja was also fortunate to receive further training with Mr. Kishore Mosalikanti during summer intensives.
Supraja considers dance as an exploration of the human experience without the filter of language. Movement and artistry makes invisible any social, racial, or geographic boundaries. Just as a physician strives to understand humanity in a holistic sense, Supraja believes that dance has similar goals. Spurred by the richness of the classical dance idiom, as well as the obligation that dancers share as social activists, she founded and captained the first competitive classical dance team, Aradhya, at the University of Virginia. For this team, Supraja created two solo dance items – Smaranam: Remembering the Fallen (2015), a response to worldwide terrorism, and Ekam: Beyond Divisions (2016), celebrating human vivacity and diversity beyond political boundaries. An interdisciplinary thinker at heart, and trained in Indian classical music from early childhood, she loves to explore the intersection of Indian classical dance with other dance and music forms. Participating in the Mahavidyas project with Shilpa, a close friend of Supraja’s from Kalanidhi Dance, amalgamates so many of her diverse interests.
Currently, Supraja attends UVA and majors in chemistry and continues to purse dance and medical science on a daily basis. She hopes to attend graduate school to become a physician scientist – and continue dancing till the end of her days. The Aseemkala Initiative is so excited to have her on board!