On being a dancer
I began my journey as a dancer under the tutelage of my mother, Dr. Srimathy Mohan, at Silambam Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona in 2003. For the past two decades, I have trained with her in the Thanjavur bani and in the Bharathalaya style under my grand-guru, Professor Sudharani Raghupathy.
I completed my Rangapravesham in 2014 and continued my training as a dancer and began training as a choreographer, dance director, dramaturg, and nattuvangam artist. Over the years, I have assisted in the creation of various including a Shakespeare adaptation with Silambam Phoenix and Dasamahavidya, an evening length work with Dr. Srimathy Mohan and Smt. Priya Murle for which I also composed two fusion pieces.
Bharatanatyam has and always will be my first love. It taught me to be disciplined, joyful, creative, and pushed me beyond what I thought was capable. Currently, I perform with Silambam Phoenix and as a soloist and ensemble dancer based in New York.
On being a dance vocalist
My love of Carnatic music began at the age of two when I watched Maya Bazaar for the first time. What I discovered in Carnatic music was this passion and emotional core which I have been chasing in my work ever since.
I began my journey as a student of the late Smt. Meera Rajkumar and have been learning from Vidwan R.K. Shriramkumar since 2008. Over my years singing for dance, I have discovered that it is the format that speaks to me and where I get to be the best collaborator that I can possibly be.
Being a dance vocalist is a specific niche and my passion for storytelling as a Bharatanatyam practitioner enhances how I function within the Bharatanatyam orchestra and how I can collaborate with the dancer to tell the most authentic story together.