Smaran Dance Festival Performers Profile
Lalli Venkatakrishnan
Lalli Venkat is a classical bharatanatyam soloist and choreographer born and brought up in the San Francisco Bay Area. From an early age, she developed a passion for bharatanatyam that has led to 16 years of rigorous training in the kalakshethra style under the tutelage of Smt. Jayanthi Sridhar, disciple of Guru Adayar K. Lakshman. Lalli has performed and competed across the United States, including winning second place at the prestigious Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana this year.
Anvitha Pillati
Anvitha Pillati has been learning Kuchipudi for the past 11 years. She was trained by Smt. Hima Bindu Challa until her Kuchipudi Rangapravesam in 2014. Since 2014, she has been continuing her art form under the guidance of Smt. Samidha Satyam. Anvitha has actively participated in several Kuchipudi dance ballets including Sri Vigneswara Vaibhavam, Sense Beyond, and Raasa Vilasam, and has performed at various temples, non-profit organizations, cultural events, and talent shows in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has won numerous awards and was a part of a group of dancers that won a Guinness Book of World Records Award in June 2008. Anvitha is also a hip hop and Bollywood choreographer/teacher.
Suprita Trilok
Suprita Trilok displayed a passion for Odissi dance from a young age and began her initial training from Guru Nivedita Mukherjee in Mumbai. She moved to Houston,TX in 2009 where she earned a masters in Biotechnology and re-started her Odissi training under the able guidance of Srimati Shipra Avantica Mehrotra. In 2015 she moved to the bay area and continues to hone her skill in Odissi under Shipra's guidance. Suprita has performed at numerous prestigious platforms across the country, including The Houston Rath Yatra (2013), The 3rd North American Odissi Convention (2014), and the Anniversary Celebration of The Sunnyvale Hindu Temple (2016). She is also thrilled to be performing at the International Odissi Dance Festival this December 2016 in Bhubaneshwar, India where she will share the stage with many renowned Odissi dancers from around the world.
Meghana Rao & Antara Rao
Antara and Meghana Rao: Antara and Meghana have been learning Kathak under Smt. Nirmala Madhava for 13 years and completed their Rang Pravesh in 2010. Under her expert guidance, the twins have participated in multiple public performances and grown to love this graceful and complex dance form. They recently graduated with a bachelor's degree, Antara from UC Berkeley and Meghana from Pomona College. They look forward to continuing their studies of Kathak and are honored to be performing for the Smaran Dance Festival this year