Smaran Dance Festival 2017 Performers Profile
Sharanya Varma
Sharanya began her initial training in Bharatanatyam under Smt.Sujatha Rajendran, director of Nritta Dhyana school of dance, Kuwait. She has been a student of Samradhya under Sri Shijith Nambiar and Smt Parvathy Menon for the past 9 years. She has been an integral part of the institution and a lead performer in the Samradhya Ensemble. She was a part of the 'Krishna' and 'Meghadootam' dance ballets that toured in North America in 2013 and 2014. It is Sharanya’s keen interest in the rich heritage of the classical arts that keeps her motivated to pursue Bharatanatyam in its totality. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Professional Accountancy in UC Davis.
Manasi Joshi
Manasi has been training in Kathak for the past 6 years under Ms. Nirmala Madhava, who is the chief choreographer at the PAMPA Dance Academy and teaches Lucknow Gharana style of Kathak. Manasi has performed in several classical and semi-classical events around the Bay Area.
Manasi is a Director of Software Engineering and a mom of 2 lovely active young boys. Her love for classical dance form of Kathak and a wonderful opportunity to learn from a great guru in the bay area is what keeps motivating her everyday.
Pranavi Chamarthi
Pranavi Chamarthi began her dance journey at the age of 9 under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Samidha Satyam. She has also been fortunate enough to learn from renowned artists, including Guru Sri Kishore Mosalikanti and Guru Sri Pasumarthy Venkateswara Sarma. Throughout her dance journey, Pranavi has participated in several programs and competitions around the Bay Area, including events organized by SiliconAndhra, OSAAT, and Yuva Bharati. She has also performed in several of her school productions such as ‘Paulasthya Parabhavam’ and ‘Parvathi Parinayam.’ In 2010, she received a Guinness World Record for participating in the World’s Largest Kuchipudi Dance in Hyderabad, India. Pranavi performed her Rangapravesham in April 2016 and is currently working towards a Diploma Certificate in Kuchipudi from the University of SiliconAndhra. Along with Kuchipudi, Pranavi has been learning Carnatic music since the age of 8 under the guidance of Smt. Shanthi Shriram. Pranavi is a sophomore at University of California, San Diego, pursuing a major in Biochemistry and Cell Biology.
Sharanya Mukhopadyay
Sharanya Mukhopadhyay Sekhri has been extensively trained in Odissi Dance. She first began her training under Guru Srimati Nandita Behera at the age of 5 in Cerritos, CA. Since then, she has made frequent visits to India to study under other internationally acclaimed Gurus such as Padmashree Aruna Mohanty, Srimati Sujata Mohapatra, Bichitrananda Swain, Monoranjan Pradhan, Yuddhistir Nayak, and Pabitra Pradhan. Sharanya is the daughter of Sanmay and Simonti Mukhopadhyay, who have always promoted and encouraged training in classical arts and music at an early age. Because of their support, and the rigorous training by her Gurus, Sharanya is currently one of the leading dancers in her generation. She is an expressional dancer with a strong technical background who strikes the perfect combination of power and grace. Recently, she has become the director of her own Odissi dance school, Ishwara Dance Academy, and conducts classes and workshops in Orange County and Bay area with senior teachers from Orissa Dance Academy, Bhubaneshwar. Besides her passion for dance, Sharanya is a Speech-Language Pathologist and enjoys working with children with special needs.