Our Institution
Fresh from the halls of Kalakshetra and creativity flowing unbridled, the power couple were ready to take the stage -- without a patron, something almost unheard of in art circles of Madras! "It was Shastri Nagar, 5th Cross Street - I still remember. I was taking classes for one student, Chittilakshmi, after returning home from work every day. We would conduct classes in a small, thatched cottage next to our home." - Dhananjayan: the nascent stages of Bharata Kalanjali
Dhananjayans had a lot of ideas, wanted to propagate them and worked hard to fulfil their aspirations to make their school internationally recognized as one of the premier institutions for dance training. They evolved a unique teaching style and philosophy that incorporated what they had learnt at Kalakshetra combined with their innovative directions.
A global tour, fruitful for Dhananjayan and Shanta gave them the Bharata Kalanjali logo that is still being used today. With the logo, the couple registered Bharata Kalanjali in 1971, making it the only registered Bharatanatyam institution in Chennai. The logo gave Dhananjayan new confidence, as he began training students and hosting a multitude of intimate programs and lecture demonstrations – a novelty in the world of Natya at the time.
Like any other person striving to come up, the Dhananjayans had their own share of struggles, from having work during the day to teaching dance in the evening. Gaining essential business managing skills from his stint at TTK Group of Companies, he was able to put that into practice while running his own institution.
Slowly when the student number swelled to a remarkable 50, the Dhananjayans became full-time teachers and performers. As the institution began to take giant strides, the classes recently shifted to Taramani, their current school at The Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu with an ambience befitting an aesthetic centre of learning.
Our Faculty
Shobana Bhalchandra
Creative Executive Director and the senior most faculty member, Shobana Bhalchandra has many years of training at Bharata Kalanjali. She has combined it with her explorations outside of the school giving her the foundation of knowing what we are steeped in as an institution. Quite a task master with abinaya being her forte, her power packed classes brings together the thinking process and nuance for abinaya that are slightly different from the traditional approach. She brings both the power of the physical and of the mind into the abinaya aspect of Natyam.
Uttiya Barua
Uttiya, a senior faculty member, is extremely sincere towards teaching. Having a high level of commitment, he provides his students the adequate time and attention towards their betterment as dancers. His interest and focus also lies in the theory of Natyam, often formulating study plans to help students engage with different theoretical concepts. Being an ardent practitioner of Natyam himself, this helps his students see what he hopes to extract from them.
Sukanya Panneerselvam
A student turned faculty of Bharata Kalanjali, Sukanya has groomed herself to be a sensitive teacher with younger children. Bringing in a lot of creativity and newness in class, she inspires the children to love what they are doing, this being one of her key strengths. Her training in Montessori education has helped her view children from a different light adapt to their pace, having understood their capabilities. She has also been part of all our training programs which has added a lot of confidence and structure to her classes.
Srinivas
One of our youngest faculty members, Srinivas has been interning with us for the last few months. A good dancer with a natural approach to teaching, he has established a good rapport with the younger students. He often supports and helps the child feel comfortable ensuring their needs are attended to. Soft, gentle yet firm, he shows great promise in being a teacher and helping an individual grow alongside. His ability to see form while bringing in a sense a creativity within the same structure also adds to the class routine.
Shreemati
Another one of our youngest faculty members interning with us, Shreemati bubbles with energy and brings about a lot of enthusiasm to her batch of young children. She is patient while teaching them and students therein have shown a keen interest in her classes and progressed beautifully. Her classes follow a steady pace as she provides the right amount of physicality required and exposes children to different aspects of Natyam.
Anita Unnikrishnan
Anita is an enthusiastic and cheerful person who enjoys working as a team to produce successful outcomes. Being a people’s person, she empathises with our students and inspires them to get better each day. She has been practicing dance for the last 31years under the guidance of guru Shobana. She represented Tamil Nadu at the Republic Day Parade in 1992, New Delhi.
Soumitri Som
Soumitri started learning Natya in Kolkata at the tender age of 3. In 2006, she came to Chennai to pursue her career and started learning with Acharya Choodamani, Kalaimamani Smt. Jayanthi Subhramaniam. From 2014 onwards she is continuing her dance under the able guidance of Padmabhushan Sri V P Dhananjayan and Padmabhushan Smt. Shanta Dhananjayan. She is currently working as a faculty at Bharata Kalanjali.