FACULTY

Meet Our Faculty

Smt. Keetha Mohan and Smt. Sashi Aravinth

Instructors and Academy Directors

CO-FOUNDERS AND ARTISTIC DIRECTORS OF ARUNODHAYA DANCE ACADEMY, MRS. KEETHA MOHAN AND MRS. SASHI ARAVINTH (NÉE SELLATHURAI) ARE LIFELONG STUDENT OF THE CLASSICAL INDIAN DANCE, BHARATHANATYAM. THEIR GURUS INCLUDE SHREE C. S. THOMAS AND SHREEMATI VASUNDHARA THOMAS, TWO OF KALAKSHETRA’S FINEST TEACHERS. IN 2003, SASHI SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE MONTREAL BASED KALABARATHI’S BHARATHANATYA TEACHER TRAINING COURSE.

GIFTED DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS, BOTH SISTERS HAVE PERFORMED IN SRI LANKA, CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THEY HAVE MANY AWARDS FOR CHOREOGRAPHY, COSTUME DESIGN, DIRECTION AND PERFORMANCE TO THEIR CREDIT FROM MANY OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. THEY ALSO HAVE TO THEIR CREDITS A SEMI-CLASSICAL DANCE VIDEO PRODUCTION “DARISHANAM”, AND A SPECTACULAR LIVE STAGE SHOW “RANGEELA”.

BOTH KEETHA AND SASHI ARE RECIPIENT OF SEVERAL SPECIAL AWARDS FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE AS AN ARTISTS, TEACHERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS. KEETHA AND SASHI’S WORK WITH ARUNODHAYA IS AN OUTGROWTH OF THEIR DEDICATION TO THE PRESERVATION AND PERFORMANCE OF THE INDIAN DANCE TRADITION IN ALL ITS MANY FORMS. THEIR TALENTS AS DANCERS, DEVOTION TO BHARATHANATYAM, AMIABLE QUALITIES AND TEACHING ABILITIES HAVE ATTRACTED MANY STUDENTS TO THEM.

UNDER THEIR GUIDANCE, ARUNODHAYA'S PERFORMERS EXPLORE THE FULL SPECTRUM OF INDIAN DANCE FROM THE CLASSICAL ELEGANCE OF BHARATHANATYAM, AND COLORFUL EXUBERANCE OF TRADITIONAL FOLK PIECES, TO THE THOROUGHLY CONTEMPORARY EXPRESSION OF MODERN CREATIVE CHOREOGRAPHY.

Smt. Vasundhara Thomas and Smt. Suhasini Thomas

Visiting Instructors and Examiners

We are honoured to have Smt. Vasundhara Thomas and Smt. Suhasini Thomas from Chennai India as our Visiting Instructors and Examiners. Smt. Vasundhara Thomas is a Retired Faculty member from Kalkshetra and her daughter Smt. Suhasini Thomas is a performing artist and a past faculty and Alumini of Kalakshetra Foundation.

Smt. Kanista Sen

Instructor

Smt. Kanista Senthan has been with Arunodhaya Dance Academy for 18 years learning under the guidance of guru Smt. Sashi Aravinth. She joined the school as an intermediate student having learnt the Kalakshetra style at the age of 12. Now, she is a faculty instructor teaching our junior groups and choreography pieces for our advanced level students. She is devoted to increasing her own interest by e-learning with renowned retired faculty member from Kalakshetra, guru Smt. Vasundhara Thomas. She has gained knowledge and practical experience in the dance form from Smt. Sureka Radhakrishnan mam of Vahini Nirthiyalaya, Smt. Rukmini Vijayakumar akka of LshVa, and Smt. Shruti Gopal akka, Shri Adithya anna, Shri Parshwanath Upadhye anna of Upadhye Dance School. Recently, she successfully completed teaching 10 weeks of Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dance at French4Tots École Montessori. In addition, Kanista is working towards her online Diploma with Alagappa Performing Arts Academy.

She is engaged in community organizations: Gurupeedam, as a Service Lover and Arunodhaya Foundation, as a Board Member.

She is the owner and creative director at GP Poetic Events. She has serviced a variety of events in the Greater Toronto Area. She is certified in Event Planning and Coordination through Wedding Planners Institute of Canada.

Kanista is also a licensed Paralegal with the Law Society of Ontario. She graduated from Seneca College in 2015. She worked at various firms before making the decision to open her own Event Services Company.

We are delighted to see Kanista’s dedication and interest to explore and increase her knowledge in this art form.

Bollywood Dance Instructor

My name is Sneha Shah and I am the instructor for Bollywood dance.. I am pretty excited to teach you all. I am the disciple of Smt. Radhika shurajit, have learnt Bharatanatyam for 15 years.. I have performed many shows around the world.. Have performed many Bollywood dances as well.. looking forward to meet you all..

Yoga Instructor

Mrs. DEEPIKA RAMESH (BE, MBA) the founder of SKANDA AROGIYAM is an enthusiastic corporate Human Resource Manager, started her journey with YOGA in the year 2014 & discovered the light of yoga which made her to identify the reasons & lessons about how yoga is precious to keep one’s mind, body and soul interconnected to a contended living. She started her journey with her mat 6 years ago and hasn’t stopped since. Mrs. Deepika Ramesh is an internationally certified (ERYT500) yoga trainer & Nutritionist – An admirer of self-awareness and mindfulness, What fascinates the most to her about this divine philosophy is, it’s based upon scientific grounds and is mostly supported by meaningful theories.Her greatest inspiration to opt yoga in her life is from her Mother-in-law, Mrs. Shyamala Sivakumar who is (Diploma in Yoga ,MSC YOGA, MD in ACUPUNCTURE ). Deepika’s goal is to create optimistic awareness and inculcate the importance and potentiality of YOGA which is not only for flexibility but for an energized living. “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” is the mantra she strongly believes and shares with every client who knocks the door of SKANDA AROGIYAM. According to her, there are four pillars of Yoga that act as a guiding light in one’s journey of exploring the self – Determination, Discipline, Dedication, and Devotion. One must obey and rely on these pillars if they wish to live this delightful and magnificent experience. This journey is incomplete without thanking my family members and my husband Prasad Sivakumaar for their continuous support.

Yoga Instructor

Subhi Singh, an IT project Manager, started the Yoga Journey as one of the tools to keep fit in 2006. Yoga helped her to find balance and peace amid the stress and chaos of the executive world. She fell in love with how yoga made her feel: peaceful, focused, grounded, strong, and increasingly compassionate. This passion grew more and eventually led her to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Yoga in 2011 followed by M.Sc in Yoga in 2014.

Subhi has a deep desire to share her knowledge and love of yoga and has volunteered teaching since 2014. Subhi always dreamt to be a part of Yoga Alliance (the directory of Yoga teachers across the world), this led to the completion of RYT200 in 2020 and now a registered Yoga Alliance member (YA ID -341000) and also undergoing RYT500 training and Precision Nutrition certification.

Subhi has learned different styles of Yoga - Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram, Power and Yin and ceretified in Restorative and Chair Yoga and strongly believes Yoga is for everyone and follows every style of Yoga in her classes.
Subhi strongly believes "LEARNING has no END",hence still learning and a student first. Her educational background includes Bachelors in Computer Applications and Masters in Business Administrations (Systems)

Sanskrit Instructor

Mrs. Sindhoora Chandramouli

Education:
UNIVERSITY O F O F MADRAS, MASTER ARTS, Sanskrit.
QUEEN MARY’S COLLEGE, BACHELOR O F ARTS, Sanskrit. VIDYABHUSHANA, Chittoor Samskrita Pracharini Sabha.
KOVIDA, Samskrita Bharati. Schooling from SBSM,Chennai. Affiliated t o CBSE Board.

Work Experience:
Linguist, Vyoma Linguistic Labs Foundation Currently handling online classes for all levels of Chittoor Board of Examinations for Sanskrit

Carnatic Vocal Instructor

Sri. Rajesh Malyankandi

Sri. Rajesh was initiated into the platform of music by Sri. Haripad KPN pillai at the tender age of 6. He had an inborn talent where he could grasp the nuances of music and its variations.
This became his core strength of learning the variation at ease.

Sri. Rajesh had his first show at the age of 10 in a temple at Kerala, and from then he had no looking back. He slowly captured the interest of singing for Bharathanatyam and started singing for few dancers in Kerala and he started becoming of the most sought out singers for natyam.

Later seeing his interest and voice culture he had the biggest opportunity to sing for the legends of Bharathantyam, PADMA BHUSHAN awardees THE DHANANJAYANS.

The journey from here on had a wonderful concept into Rajesh's life. He started understanding the nuances of singing for each categories of items and then made a key stand in the arena of NATYAM. Smt. and Sri. Dhananjayan sir enveloped Rajesh into a better package envisaging his culture to a matured vocalist which enhanced any Concert. This made Rajesh one of the most wanted vocalists of his era.

Rajesh has traveled over 25 countries for his concerts for various dancers and has had the opportunities to meet few of the most important people around the world as music has taken him to these places.

He had the opportunity to learn under Padma Bhushan T.V. GOPALAKRISHNAN sir, Late Sri. Reji George, Kalaimamani Sri. T. Sasidhar, Padma Bhushan Smt. Shanta Dhanajayan and presently under Kalaimamni T.K. Padmanabhan.

He has been appreciated by our late president of INDIA (late Sri. Abhul Kalam Sir) at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

He is the first vocalist who has received the scholarship of accompanying the natyam concert in India and that's a very proud step in Rajesh's life.

Carnatic Vocal Instructor

My name is Amritha Rajesh and a vocalist by Profession. Since 2002 I have been undergoing vocal training under Sri Kalamandalam Udhayabhanu at the kalapeedam sangeetha School . I have now started my classes in Chennai and have been singing for many devotional music albums and concerts in and around Tamil Nadu

I have also had the opportunity to sing in five films which i consider a a great experience and also have been awarded in many state level competitions in Kerala

Presently I am also learning the nuances of Carnatic music which gives me more of exposure and understanding. I have been training many students online for film music , bhajans ans devotional music.