Asha Dwarka began studying Kuchipudi from Anuradha Nehru in 1995. She has performed at various venues around the DC metropolitan area which include The Library of Congress, The Lincoln Theater, and Wolf Trap. Internationally, Asha participated in a dance tour of India which included preforming at the Ananya Festival in New Delhi. In addition to participating in various programs conducted by Anuradha Nehru, she has given Kuchipudi dance lecture demonstrations at American University, Hood College and in Lennox, Massachusetts. Asha has trained with many different artists including Kishore Mosalikanti, Vempati Ravi Shankar, Lakshmi Babu, and Malika Ramprasad. As a fourth generation Indian who has been given the opportunity to reconnect with her cultural roots through dance, she continues to work with Kalanidhi as both a member of Kalanidhi Dance dancer and the co-coordinator of the Kalanidhi Kids Camp. Asha Dwarka is currently pursuing a duel degree at Virginia Tech University in biochemistry and food science and technology.
Srilekha Jayanthi
Srilekha has been studying Kuchipudi under the guidance of Smt. Anuradha Nehru since 2003. As a student of Kuchipudi Kalanidhi,
Srilekha has performed at venues such as the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the World Bank Festival of Cultures, and Shruti:
A Classical Night at Columbia University in New York City. In 2007, Srilekha also performed with the Kalanidhi Dance Company on their India
tour where they presented Smt. Anuradha Nehru's original dance drama, Rasa, at many prestigious venues such as Silparamam in Hyderabad,
Kalakshetra in Chennai and the Ananya Festival on the ruins of the Purana Qila in New Delhi. Srilekha has trained under various artists
including Smt. Rajani Malladi from Hyderabad, India, Smt. Padma Rao, from Washington DC, and Sri Kishore Mosalikanti from Chennai, India.
She is currently a junior at Columbia University.
Chitra Kalyandurg
Chitra Kalyandurg has trained in Kuchipudi with Anuradha Nehru since 1994 and currently performs with the Kalanidhi Dance Company,
which she co-founded. She has performed throughout the Washington, D.C. area, including the Smithsonian Institution, National
Geographic Society, the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, and Dance Place. Chitra is a recipient of a 2009 Princess Grace Dance
Honoraria for her artistic excellence in Kuchipudi. In 2008 she studied dance and choreography in India with the support of a Creative
Projects grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. In addition to performing, Chitra teaches Kuchipudi classes
around the Washington area, and is a teaching artist in the fields of dance, theater and creative movement. She currently works as the
marketing and fundraising consultant at Kuchipudi Kalanidhi.
Amrita Lahiri
Amrita Lahiri is a Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer based in New Delhi, India. She studies Kuchipudi with Anuradha Nehru and
dances with Kalanidhi Dance while in Washington, D.C. In New Delhi, she has learnt Bharatanatyam from Leela Samson and performs
with the group Spanda. Amrita has danced in major venues in several cities of India and the US, as well as Southeast Asia and Pakistan,
as a soloist and company dancer. In India, Amrita has also trained in Kuchipudi with Swapnasundari and Seetha Nagajothy. In addition
to performing, Amrita also teaches and writes on dance. She has a Masters degree in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi, and worked with the British Council, New Delhi and The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. as well.
Silpa Nanan
Silpa Nanan began studying Kuchipudi from Anuradha Nehru in 1989 and has since then also received training from Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam,
Vempati Ravi Shankar and Kishore Mosalikanti. In 2005, she co-founded Kalanidhi Dance and is currently a member of the dance company. Silpa
has performed at various national venues including the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution and The John F. Kennedy Center.
She has also performed abroad in Singapore, Indonesia and India with Kalanidhi Dance. In addition to performing and choreographing dance, Silpa
is employed as a web developer for U.S. News & World Report.
Lavanya Thamire
Lavanya Thamire, a long-time student of Kuchipudi, joined Kuchipudi Kalanidhi in 2005 and has trained under the guidance of
Smt. Anuradha Nehru since then. As a recent addition to the dance company, she has performed at several venues in the DC
metropolitan area, such as the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Gandhi Center, National Cherry Blossom Festival
and Dance DC Festival, FDA, and the Office of Secret Service in Washington D.C. Lavanya received her early training during
summer camps under Smt. Bala Kondala Rao and has received training with Kishore Mosalikanti during Kuchipudi Kalanidhi’s summer
camps. Lavanya currently teaches students in Ashburn, V.A., where Kuchipudi Kalanidhi has recently opened a new branch.
Smitha Viswanathan
Smitha Viswanathan has been studying Kuchipudi under the guidance of Anuradha Nehru at Kuchipudi Kalanidhi for the last 20 years.
She has been part of Kalanidhi Dance since she helped co-found it in 2005, and has taken part in several performances both nationally
and internationally including Yaatra, Rasa, Transcending Tradition, and Navarasa. Smitha has worked with Kuchipudi Kalanidhi to help
train students of the school as well as co-directed the Kalanidhi Kids Camp program. In addition to working with the company as a
performer and choreographer, Smitha works as an elementary school teacher at the DC Bilingual Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.