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Nitya
Venkateswaran has been immersed in the classical dance form of
Bharatanatyam for the past 24 years. She began her
Bharatanatyam training in the Tanjore style at the age of four
from Vishal Ramani, Artistic Director of Shri Krupa Dance
Company, San Jose, CA. With a love for dance, an innate
understanding of complex rhythmic patterns, and stage presence,
Nitya quickly picked up the intricacies of Bharatanatyam and
performed her dance debut (arangetram) at the age of 8, with her
sister Swapna. Under the continued tutelage of Ms. Ramani, Nitya
has performed in the San Francisco Bay Area with the Shri Krupa
Dance Company as a senior dancer for the past 21 years, taking
lead roles in several dance ballets.
Nitya embarked
on her career as a solo Bharatanatyam performer in the winter of
2001 in Chennai, India, giving four solo performances. She
returned a year later to study music and present additional
performances. As the first disciple of Shri Krupa to perform as
a soloist in Chennai's Dance Season, Nitya performed in
prominent concert halls and participated in the first NRI
(Non-resident Indian) dance festival. Audiences and critics
attending Nitya’s performances during the 2001 and 2002 seasons
recognized and commented on Nitya's talent for executing
challenging footwork sequences and adeptly emoting the musical
content of Bharatanatyam.
Fresh from her
recent sold out benefit solo performance for Tsunami relief at
the ODC Theater in January 2005; Nitya continues to perform in
the Bay Area with wide acclaim.
She will be featured as a soloist in this year’s prestigious
San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival at the Palace of Fine
Arts in June. Nitya continues to perform at diverse events in
the Bay Area in order to bring further exposure to Bharatanatyam
- not just to dancers or those interested in Indian Culture, but
to the community at large.
Nitya, a lover
of all dance forms, has also studied Modern/Graham technique at
UC Berkeley and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and
Flamenco in the Bay Area and Sevilla, Spain. Nitya’s true
passion, however, lies with Bharatanatyam where she is able to
experience joy and deepen her spirituality.
A graduate of
UC Berkeley, Nitya currently works in Emeryville, CA
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