Natyaroha by Nithya Ramesh

What better day than international dance day to announce that this year’s annual showcase by students of Natyaroha will be a part of through !

Save the date and join us for this free event at the International house in Providence to celebrate another year of hard work and learning by students of Natyaroha 💜🩶

This past weekend, I was honored to be invited by to conduct a workshop as part of their HopStop series for Holi. In the workshop, I introduced over 100 participants across a variety of ages and backgrounds to the basics of bharatanatyam. It was so fun to see their imaginations kicking in when we explored the use of hastas to depict everyday objects and in story telling! I also loved seeing two of my younger students step up to be my teaching assistants and marvel at how far they’ve come in the last couple of years 💜💙

Photo credit: Ben DeFlorio

[bharatanatyam, dance workshop, storytelling, Indian dance]

If you’re in the upper valley, come celebrate the start of spring and Holi with me at this family friendly workshop curated by 🌸💐💙🩵💜
The workshop is free and I welcome anyone over the age of 5 to participate! No prior dance experience is necessary.

Another beautiful vijayadashami celebration at Natyaroha made possible thanks to my students and their parents 🩵💚🩷 this was a simple yet meaningful way for us to pause and move forward in our pursuit of knowledge with focused determination 🙏

Happy to share highlights from our annual dance showcase:

Natyarpanam 2025 - Highlights Students of Natyaroha presented their hard work and showcased their learning during the annual showcase on May 24th, 2025 in Barrington, RI. If you’re intere...

Yesterday marked 18 years since my arangetram and as I reflect on it, it truly was my “commencement” or the beginning of my journey in dance. I’ve always enjoyed teaching, and being able to combine my love for dance and teaching is one of the most fulfilling things I get to do. I recently presented my students in our annual showcase and I’m so proud of the work they all put in. Having my family there to support me was the icing on the cake!

While most recitals tend to have a chief guest (sometimes even those who are not connected to dance or the art form) do a speech, I chose to invite a guest artist to present a piece. My students are immigrants and don’t get the same cultural exposure as those who live back home. Having a guest presenter allowed them to watch a senior artist perform live and also gave the artist a platform to present their new work. We were fortunate to have the very talented perform for us at our showcase.

Do let me know what you think of having a guest artist vs a chief guest in the comments below!

In January, I was approached by two enthusiastic RISD students who were curating an exhibit featuring south Asian artists. We collaboratively developed a piece for “art in motion”, where I painted Altha (red dye) on my feet and danced on a canvas on the opening night of the exhibit. They recorded this performance which is now being projected over the canvas at the Gelman Gallery.

It brings me great joy to collaborate with artists across other mediums and creatively think of ways to present my art. An art gallery is not a typical stage for bharatanatyam but this experience showed me how intimate this setting can be and sparked ideas for future projects.

Join Natyaroha’s Beginner Bharatanatyam Classes and embark on a journey into the world of classical Indian dance. Perfect for those new to dance, these classes will introduce you to the fundamental steps, rhythms, and expressions of Bharatanatyam.

Our little vijayadashami celebration 🥰

It takes a lot of “unseen” effort that goes behind preparing for a show. As a teacher, you are not just the person teaching them the dance but you may juggle multiple roles like being their cheerleader, hair and make up artist, event coordinator, emcee, and much more and, many times, parents step in to help with this as well. It’s not just the artists who wait hours backstage for their performance but their entire support system (teacher, parents, siblings, friends). Learning dance, especially with the intent of performing, takes a lot of commitment from everyone involved. I’m very proud of these dedicated students and their families for their commitment and willingness to nurture this interest. It really takes a village!

Pictures taken at the Durga puja celebration! Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to showcase their talents! Maitri - মৈত্রী

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My favorite part about Hinduism is the credit and importance we show our goddesses! They can be warriors, creators, scholars, destroyers. We bow to them for mercy as well as for benevolence. In my perspective, the Navaratri festival honors and celebrates the strength, and resilience of women, honoring the divine feminine while inspiring women of all ages to embrace their power and potential in any aspect of life.

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