About Nardhana Academy of Dance in Malvern
Nardhana Academy of Dance founded by Ramaa Ramesh had a humble beginning in 1992. It has grown extensively, maintaining high quality of training and performance. The main focus of this institution is to instill an awareness of the rich Indian art and culture in its purest form to the next generation.
To accomplish this goal, the academy specializes in training its students in various facets of Bharatanatyam, including Nritta (pure dance technique), Abhinaya (emotive/reflective skill) and Nritya (combination of abstract movement with expressive mime). In addition, Theory of dance, Nattuvangam (wielding cymbals to conduct stage recitals), stage decor, lighting, teaching methodology, philosophy of movement and music are also deeply explored, along with drawing from other cognate art forms.
Nardhana Academy has accelerated programs for sincere students with deep interest in Bharatanatyam. Senior students are encouraged to participate in many of the recitals that the academy gets invited to perform. Such performances build the self esteem of the students and boost their confidence level as they continue to refine their presentation skills. The yearly annual showing for the Nardhana families gives a special opportunity for each student of the dance school to perform on stage for a large audience. The academy takes great pride for staging over fifty Arangetrams (debut full length recitals), accompanied by live orchestra from India and USA, featuring exclusive repertoires in multiple Indian languages.
​Other than its regular performances and Lecture-Demonstrations, Nardhana Academy is also known for its group productions which include thematic interpretations in a dance-drama pattern, and group choreographies which have been presented in numerous locations and events including The Philadelphia Museum of the Arts, The Temple University Alumni Concert, Main Campus & Ambler Campus, The Bryn Mawr College Faculty Dance Concert, The Cabrini College Contemporary Dance Company Performance, Asian American Heritage Month Celebration, The S.V. Temple, Pittsburg, PA, The Maha Lakshmi Temple, DE , The HARI Temple, Harrisburg, PA and Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Bridgewater, NJ.
Co-sponsored by Nardhana Academy and the Asian Arts Initiative, Ramaa Ramesh and her Guru, Bharatanatyam exponent, Padmashree, Smt. Chitra Visweswaran conducted a dance workshop in Philadelphia culminating with a recital - “Three Generations of Indian Classical Dancers”, featuring the workshop students, Ramaa Ramesh and Chitra Visweswaran. Nardhana Academy has also collaborated with Kalaimamani, Guru Sri. Madurai R. Muralidaran, a much acclaimed dance teacher, composer, dancer, choreographer, lyricist, playwright and director in two of his magnum opus dance productions ‘Silappadikaram’ and ‘Vayu Puthra’, featuring over hundred dancers on the Philadelphia area stages. In an effort to enrich the awareness and proficiency of the students, Nardhana has periodically hosted eminent artists like Madurai . Sri. R. Muralidharan (Bharatanayam), Sanjib Bhattacharya (Manipuri), Sadanam Balakrishnan (Kathakali) to conduct workshops and lecture-demonstrations. Nardhana students have also participated in master classes taught by Kalaimamani. Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan, Kalaimamani Smt. Priyadarshini Govind and Padmashri Malavika Sarukkai, organized by SRUTI, Philadelphia.
Nardhana Academy often partners with its sister company Daksha Dance Troupe founded by Dhruv and Rathi Sandilya, to conceptualize, choreograph and perform fusion dances with Bharatanatyam, Bollywood and Bhangra genres.