BOSTON—Bharatanatyam dance teacher Sridevi Ajai Thirumalai, who has taught over 1,000 students and has developed her own-style of teaching classical dance to Indian-American children, will receive India New England News Lifetime Achievement Award on March 6, 2021.
In an insightful video interview on Chai With Manju, Ms. Thirumalai talks about her journey, her own dance gurus, and most importantly, about her own unique teaching style of classical dance to Indian-American children.
To watch the full interview, please click here, or on the image below.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed upon extraordinary individuals annually by INDIA New England News, one of the nation’s largest Indian American news organizations covering the Indian and South Asian community.
Ms. Thirumalai is an acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer who is widely known for her pure interpretation of classical dance traditions. She has won numerous accolades and titles including Natya Thapasvini – which aptly describes her immersion and dedication to the divine art form. Natyamani School of Dance, which Ms. Thirumalai established in 1992, is synonymous with excellence and adherence to classical techniques in the Greater Boston area.
Ms. Thirumalai credits her mother’s constant encouragement and support from a very young age as one of the driving forces behind her lifelong passion for dance. She in turn, inspires each of her students to similarly develop a deep love and understanding of Bharatanatyam. She has a lasting impact beyond dance on all her students, numbering close to a thousand, by teaching them the value of dedication, focus and hard work.
