Performing Arts

Dance and the arts have taught me the power of non-verbal communication and the importance of storytelling, tradition, and culture. Being involved in the arts from a young age has allowed me to develop my skills and engage culturally with the community.

an artist

I have been learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of my guru Smt. Sivagami Vanka at the Kalabharathi School of Dance for 12 years in Portland, Oregon (since I was 5 years old).

Bharatanatyam is a 2,000 year old South Indian classical dance form originating from the Natyasastra, an ancient scripture written by Sage Bharatha. This art form combines bhavam - emotions, ragam - music, talam - rhythm, and natyam - dance. It consists of three elements, Nritta (pure dance), Nritya (expression) and Natya (storytelling).

In the last 12 years, I have had the opportunity to perform in over 90+ events, collaborate across art forms while continuing to learn and grow as an artist.

awards & recognition

IndianRaga:
international fellow

2024-2025 | International Dance Fellowship
Collaborated with handpicked artists across the country; professional videos released on IndianRaga channel
45K+ views on Youtube

cognizart by metroarts:
'young artist debut!' winner

2025 | First ever dancer & first person chosen to showcase Indian classical dance as a part of the performing arts category

Solo Performance

WATCH HERE

Ensemble Performance

WATCH HERE

City of Beaverton Youth Arts: 'Emerging Talent' Award

2025 | Only dancer & Indian classical art form honored in the emerging talent category

american natya idol:
2nd place winner & national qualifier

2025 | National Dance Competition

house of kala 'nritya tarang':
top 5 (senior category)

2024 | National Dance Competition

collaborations across art forms

carnatic vocal music

Learned Carnatic Vocal Singing for 6 years from my Guru Smt. Hamsa Raghuvir which adds to my understanding of dance foundations
Performed at music festivals, temples, fundraisers

taiko - japanese drumming

Fortunate to dance alongside the inspiring Japanese traditional drums for several performances (including at Carnegie Hall, NYC)

parai - south indian percussion

Grateful for opportunity to perform alongside the ancient Indian percussion drums

My guru

smt. sivagami vanka

Smt. Sivagami Vanka (Shivy Aunty), is the founder/director of the Kalabharathi School of Dance in Portland, Oregon. A versatile Bharatanatyam dancer herself, she has shifted her focus towards imparting this elegant artform to young students for the last 30 years. Disciple of renowned dance gurus (late) Kalaimamani Sri S.K. Kameswaran and Natya Tilakam Saroja Kameswaran, Shivy Aunty is known for her exceptional abhinaya and maturity in portraying diverse characters, as well as powerful and creative rhythmic choreography.

Kalabharathi students receive rigorous training in traditional techniques that focus on maintaining the authenticity of Bharatanatyam. Shivy Aunty strongly believes in the student's inherent ability to learn by observation & practice. Students also attend carefully curated camps from leading dance exponents from India & US. Her collaboration with diverse art and cultural groups has provided her students with the opportunity to perform at various venues, receiving enthusiastic praise from the community. Kalabharathi is considered as the “Ivy League of Dance” in Portland.

Shivy Aunty has conducted over 60 arangetrams, each crafted & choreographed to highlight the performing student. Her magnum opus productions like "Maayan" and "Balaji Kalyanam" with over 125 students received great accolades across the Northwest. Her students have won numerous awards at the local, national and international levels, including at Cleveland Aradhana, Portland Got Moves, American Natya Idol, and Sargam Utsav.

learning enrichment

nattuvangam

My dance foundations have been enriched by learning nattuvangam (South Indian percussion) through a 1-year intensive camp during COVID-19 from Gurus Sri. Harikrishnan Kalamandalam and Smt. Karthika Harikrishnan
It involves playing two cymbals, known as the talam, along with the vocal recitation of rhythmic syllables called sollukattu to to set the rhythm, tempo, and intricate patterns - guiding the dancer's movements and the overall Bharatanatyam performance
Notable performances:
- Played Nattuvangam for dance graduation in Texas (2023)
- Played Nattuvangam with a live, professional orchestra from India for dance graduation in Portland (2024)

Trained with local & international experts

My journey towards improving the art form has included intensive dance training in camps & workshops conducted by world-renowned dancers

Sri. Parshwanath Upadhaye &
Sri. Aditya PV
(2025)

Dr. Smt. Sheela Unnikrishnan,
Sridevi Nrityalaya
(2024)

Sri. Akhilesh Vadhari
(2024)

Dr. Sunil Nellay
(2023)

Sri. Ajeesh Manjeri
(2020)

Kum. Ritwika Ghosh
(2019)

Sri. A Lakshmanswamy
(2018)

Sri. Gopukiran S
(2016)

continuing education for the art form

During COVID, assisted my dance teacher by volunteering to be a demonstrator on Zoom classes for younger students
Created “how-to” dance videos for younger students
Assisted my dance teacher in the class through active demonstrations and class interaction