Vocal

Vidwan D. S. Srivathsa

Srivathsa, whose passion is singing for classical dances which has made him what he is today, believes that singing for dance enhances one's bhaava or the expession in rendering of any given composition.

Having learnt Vocal music from Guru Karnataka Kalashree Sr. D. V. Nagarajan from Vijaya College of Music, Bangalore, Srivathsa learnt bharatanatyam from Karnataka kalasheree. Guru. B. Bhanumathi for over six years, also imbibing the nuances of dance-singing from her.

Having performed for senior gurus like Smt. Narmada, Kum. B. Bhanumathi, Smt Radha Sridhar, Smt. Lalitha Srinivasan, Smt. Padmini Ramachandran, Smt. Revati Narasimhan , Sri Sathyanarayana Raju, Sri. P.Praveenkumar, Smt. Viji Prakash-Los Angeles and the likes, Srivathsa has come a long way in carving a niche for himself as a Singer, Nattuvanar, Composer of lyrics and music.

Srivathsa, as a solo concert performer, has extensively performed at all prestigious music sabhas of India, Australia and Singapore. Srivathsa has been travelling to Shakti Dance Company, Los Angeles, Kalabharathi school of dance, Portland, OR, and Natyabhoomi school of Dance, Mary land, every year since 1995.

Having been awarded by Karnataka state Sangeetha Natak academy - Karnataka Kalashree award, Srivathsa has won the aryabhata international award, Ananya Puraskara, Drishti dance award, Kalayogi and Naada Brahma award.

Along with his wife Dr. Soundarya Srivathsa, an accomplished bharatanatyam dancer, Srivathsa heads the dance-music school - Nartana Keertana in Bangalore. Has extensively toured all over the world to perform for various accomplished dance companies.

Flute

Vidwan N. R. Narasimha Murthy

Sri. N. R. Narasimha Murthy is a highly skilled Carnatic flautist known for his exceptional artistry and creativity on the flute. He embarked on his musical journey at a young age under the tutelage of esteemed Gurus such as Vidwan M.S. Srinivasa Murthy, Vidwan M.R Doraswamy, and vocalist Guru Vidwan S Shankar.

With dedicated training from these accomplished teachers, he quickly captivated audiences with his melodious renditions that complemented the nuances of expression (abhinaya) portrayed by dancers during performances.

Recognized for his mastery in melody and ability to enhance dance expressions through music, Sri N.R Narasimha Murthy holds an A grade artist status from All India Radio and Doordarshan India. His passion for spreading Carnatic music globally has led him to travel extensively, performing alongside world-class artists across various countries.

Master of Ceremony

Smt. Ranjani Ramkumar

Ranjani has loved performing arts, especially theatre, from a very young age. She has acted in many stage plays during her school years and was part of a professional theatre group during her undergraduate years at BITS Pilani. Ranjani has received formal Carnatic music training for over 10 years. She continues to stay active in the arts by performing and organizing events for the Jacksonville Tamil Mandram and the HSNEF Cultural Committee. Ranjani has been hosting Bharatanatyam Arangetrams for the past five years, enjoying the chance to research and share interesting details to rasikas.

In recent years, Ranjani has grown deeply devoted to Saivaite texts - Thevaram and Thiruvasagam, making their study a regular part of her life. She is currently pursuing a two-year course through the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam. Her trips to India center around visiting temples with a strong connection to the Thirumurai hymns. Ranjani is also a passionate reader of Tamil literature. Outside of her artistic pursuits, she works as a Senior Program Manager and lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband and two children.

Mentor

Kum. Smrithi Sankar Krishnan

Smrithi Sankar Krishnan, B.A. is a current doctoral student at Adler University, Chicago, IL. She is currently a diagnostic extern at Advanced Behavioral Health Services, Naperville IL. Smrithi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from University of South Florida- Tampa (Magna Cum Laude). She is the disciple Bhanumati Nrityakalamandiram under Nritya Nipune Guru Smt. Sheela Chandrashekar and Vidushi Deepthi Radakrishna for Bharatanatyam, as well as Guru D. Sandhya Rao for Caranatic Music. She also receives vocal training with a special emphasis to sing for dance under Karnataka Kalashree Vidwan Sri D.S. Shrivatsa. At KalAradhana School of Arts she currently assists in providing Indian culture music and dance therapy with her mother Dr. Subashree Narayanan (Director of KalAradhana School of Arts). Smrithi has had the opportunity to volunteer and shadow in numerous clinics in Florida as well as participating as a research assistant at USF. Smrithi is also the youth coordinator in the Non- Profit Organization Mothers’ Cry that specializes in working with mental disorders and adolescent career transitions. She engages in local theatre groups; fiction writing and performs in local Sabhas for Bharatanatyam and Carnatic Music. She has recently participated in dance workshops and is part of the performing troupe NatyaBhanu Jax. She has also had the opportunity to sing film songs at local events such as Thalaivar 50 and receives film song vocal training from Dr. Sriram Narayanan. Smrithi hopes to one day culturally guide the future generations to come one step at a time.