LEXINGTON, MA— In 2017, Jothi Raghavan and her students will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Nrityanjali School of Dance that Raghavan founded in Boston in 1977.
A master of Bharatha Natyam dance, Raghavan has been a pioneer in performing, teaching and choreographing Bharatha Natyam-based programs in the United States and as well as in the birthplace of this classical dance style: Chennai, India.
Raghvan’s passion for Bharatha Natyam is reflected in her own beauty, grace and elegance that she brings to one of the most popular dance styles of India. On Oct. 28, Raghvan will be honored with the Art and Culture Award in the individual category at New England Choice Awards gala at Westin Hotel in Waltham, MA.
About 400 entrepreneurs, corporate executives, philanthropists, educators and community leaders are expected to attend the awards gala, which is presented by INE MultiMedia in collaboration with INDIA New England News.
In an exclusive video interview with Dreamcatchers, Raghavan talks about her Bharatha Natyam journey that began as a child in India at the insistence of her mother, who herself learned to dance after she got married and had her two children.
To watch the interview, please click here.
“I give all the credit to my dad,” said Raghavan. “It was her dream to become a dancer and she pursued dance.”
Raghavan said that her mother, Vimla Ramanujam, started to learn dance when she was over 20 years old and that was really old in those days.
“She insisted that I also learn dance and she made sure that she put me in the dance class,” said Raghavan, who has received many awards including the prestigious Choreographers Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Raghavan has been training students in Bharatha Natyam since 1977 in her school Nrityanjali.
