Shanti

Shanti Ramrattan has been studying Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of K.P. and Katherine Kunhiraman for over ten years. Along with Bharatanatyam, she has studied Kathakali under K.P Kunhiraman. In 2002 she participated in a Mohini Attam workshop with Kalamandalam Radhika. She has been a member of Kalanjali Dance Company since 2003. She performed in Milanya and many NATyA concerts in the first year and still helps out with volunteer duties.

Rani

Rani Ramrattan has been studying Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of K.P. and Katherine Kunhiraman for over ten years. Along with Bharatanatyam, she has studied Kathakali under K.P Kunhiraman. In 2002 she participated in a Mohini Attam workshop with Kalamandalam Radhika. She has been a member of Kalanjali Dance Company since 2003. She performed in Milanya and many NATyA concerts in the first year and still helps out with volunteer duties.

Rani Rani Vedanathan began learning Bharatanatyam at age 12 under Padmini Ravi of Bangalore and later under Kiran and Sandhya Subramanyam. Ranjani has danced internationally and performed in other productions such as “The Jungle Book.” In 2002, she founded the Kalapriya School of Dance for Bharatanatyam in Colorado. Additionally, Ranjani studies Kathak, ballet, and tap-dancing, sings, and acts. She performed in Milanya and many NATyA concerts in NATyA's second year.
Sumita
Sumita Soni began dancing at age five with Vasanti Jayaswal, who taught a unique blend of Kathakali and Mohiniattam. At age 10, she was introduced to Viji Prakash and studied for 10 years at the Shakti School of Bharatnatyam in Los Angeles. Sumita has participated in several dance productions, and is enjoying her experience of artistic choreography with NATyA. She has also been practicing yoga for the past five years and finds that the language of physical movement and expression carries unparalleled poetic tones. She performed in dha-Tu and the Children's Series in 2005.
Usha
Usha Desiraju has been learning Bharatanatyam for the last 14 years. Her training began with Kalashri Asha Gopal, the founder and artistic director of Arathi School of Dance, Phoenix. She has performed in the Bay Area, as well as within the U.S. Usha continues her training with Mythili Kumar, director of Abhinaya Dance Company, San Jose. She performed in dha-Tu.
Radha
Radha Verman studied Bharatanatyam at Kalanjali under Katherine and K P Kunhiraman. She performed in dha-Tu.
Sonia
Sonia Mann learned Kathak at the Tarangini School of Kathak Dance under Anuradha Nag for 12 years and is currently teaching in the South Bay. She has attended advanced workshops with Pt. Birju Maharaj and Pt. Vijay Shankar and has performed at the Palace of Fine Arts and Bihar Samaj with leading Kathak dancers. Sonia enjoys choreography as a hobby. Coming from a musical family, she is also learning the sitar, while keeping her other hobby, painting, alive. She performed in dha-Tu.
Nayna
Nayna Agrawal performed in dha-Tu. She studied Kathak, Bharatanatyam and modern dance under the tutelage of Guru Aparna Karmarker, Guru Jayanti Payne and Bill Atwood and Achinta Sawhny. She instructed students of Kathak in New York, New Jersey, and DC. Nayna has been associated with several theater companies including the L.A.-based Blue13 Dance Company, the Blunt Theater Company, Disha Theater Company and ZEU Productions. She performed in dha-Tu.
Parna Parna Basu started studying Kathak with Pandi Birju Mahararaj at the age of 5 in Delhi, India. Since 2000 she has been touring internationally and has performed in Europe, India and America with his dance company.
Prasant Prasant Radhakrishnan composed music for Lost Tales. He is a versatile saxophonist identified with both the South Indian Classical (Carnatic) and Jazz disciplines. Starting learning the veena from Vijaya Prabhakar, Prasant moved to Carnatic music on saxophone under "Padmashri" Kadri Gopalnath, in 1996. Prasant has accompanied his guru in over 200 concerts within India and in the US, putting him in the company of several of the most senior accompanying artists in the field of Carnatic music. Prasant has given numerous solo concerts internationally, including concerts at the leading sabha organizations in Chennai. His two albums, Swara Sudha and Duality, have received critical acclaim and wide appreciation from listeners. Prasant has also been greatly influenced by the Jazz tradition and recently founded Vidya, a group which is a true combination of Carnatic music and Jazz.
Shital
Shital Agrawalla performed in Lost Tales. She started learning Odissi at the age of nine from M. C. Palai in Orissa and had her Manch Prawesh at 14. She has completed Nrutya Shastri (Purna) from Orissa Sangeet Natak Academy and Senior Dance Certificate (6 year) from Allahabad University. She came third in the National Dance Competition at Prayag Sangit Samiti in Allahabad. In addition to Odissi performances, she also performs Rajasthani Ghoomar and Sambalpuri folk dances.
   
  Artists A list of the current artists performing for NATyA.