Varsha Akhouri

Varsha Akhouri is a highly accomplished Bharatanatyam artist with a profound dedication to preserving the integrity of the Kalakshetra style. Varsha is the founder of Shrishti School of Dance, an institution she started in 2007. She completed her first-class post-diploma, a rigorous six-year course, at the esteemed Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai. She has been teaching as a faculty member of Kalakshetra till 2022.
The meeting with Varsha teacher has been a turning point in Nādaśrī’s dance journey, unfolding a deeper understanding of the vast universe of Bharatanāṭyam.

Bhagavatula Sri Seetharama Sharma

Nādaśrī meets Sharma Sir in 2008 when she goes to study nattuvangam at his home in Chennai. His love for music and teaching has always been a huge source of inspiration for Nādaśrī, and has kept her enthusiasm for the study of nattuvangam alive. He was born in a family of Kuchipudi artists, Josyulu Narayanamurti and Bhagavatulu Yagnayya, both musicians and dancers. He learned music and dance in the traditional Gurukula system. He participated in the dance dramas of renowned masters of Kuchipudi. According to the Kuchipudi tradition, a dance drama was performed from 9 to 6 am without microphones for three nights or more. Men also used to play female roles and all the people from the nearby villages came to watch the whole show. At the age of seven she wore anklets for the first time and performed in the Ramalingeshwaraswami temple, dancing and singing the role of Prahlada. He studied music under the guidance of Sitarama Anjaneyulu and later with Nethi Sreerama Sarma and T.R.Subramaniam in Vijayawada. He fled from his father to pursue his musical passion and found his teacher Pasumarti Sitarama Sastri in Machilipatnam. Amazed by T.R.Subramaniam’s concert, the generous guru provided him with food, clothing, shelter and rigorous training. After four years in Madras, T.R.Subramaniam moved to Delhi and Seetharama returned to Vijayawada. Fate led him to sing during the exams of dance students in Madras. In 1962 he joined Kalakshetra as a music teacher and debuted as Nattuvanar. In 1985 he founded the institution The Kalapeetham School of Dance and Music in India, U.S.A. and in Singapore. He continued teaching, touring, performing and conducting shows, composing music and choreographing dances until December 2017, when he left his body.

Maresa Moglia

Maresa is Nādaśrī’s first contemporary dance and Bharatanāṭyam teacher. American, she graduated from Barnard College in New York with a “B.A.” in contemporary dance. During his time in N.Y. she studies at Martha Graham’s school of contemporary dance and at the Limon Institute. At the same time she attended intensive courses of Bharatanāṭyam, which she later deepened in India with Krishnaveni Lakshmanan and Bhagavatula Seetharama Sharma. Leaving in Italy, she founded the association “Natana Vedica: East / West Performing Arts” and in 2002 she founded the dance company “Mangalam” experimenting an intercultural fusion between Indian classical dance and contemporary dance. Today she is teaching in Siena, Italy.

Krishnaveni Lakshmanan

The meeting with Krishnaveni teacher took place in 1996. She was going to Italy annually to teach during the summer season. Nādaśrī attended her seminars, thus coming into contact with one of the leading exponents of Bharatanāṭyam. Krishnaveni (Pazhani, Tamil Nadu, 1942-2004) began studying Bharatanāṭyam at the age of five with Rukmini Devi. She graduated in Bharatanāṭyam with full marks from the Kalakshetra Dance Academy. She participates in long tours in India, South East Asia, Europe, the USA and Russia. She was awarded the title of “Nritya Choodamani” (Crest jewel of Dance) by one of the most famous Indian dancers, Smt. Balasaraswathi. She was awarded the UNESCO medal in Paris for her outstanding service to the Bharatanāṭyam. Receives the prestigious national “Sangeeta Nataka Academy Award” from the President of India. She is awarded the title “Arungkalai Selve” by Pollahi Tamil Sai Sangam. Director of Kalakshetra from 1998 to 2000.