About Anushka Kalyan
Anushka says she popped out dancing, and her family agrees. The combination of attention to geometry and mathematics in the pure dance aspects, and the exploration of emotions and character portrayal in the "abhinaya" interpretations of traditional songs in the Bharatanatyam repertoire extend into school activities, where she proves herself through her energetic presentations as a Captain of Speech & Debate in high school. As a rising senior, active in advocacy organizations, Anushka literally comes back down to earth by going outdoors and "touching grass."At home in both her cultures, she may be found softly singing a classical Indian song or one she just heard on Spotify. She relishes her challenges, loves her friends and family, the eager fish rising to greet her in her backyard's Koi pond, and the dance which has been a part of her life - seemingly forever. Anushka, her family, and teachers welcome you all to share this day of transition, the performance of her Bharatanatyam Arangetram, signaling a momentous push into the next level of artistic growth.
A Note From Anushka
I'm deeply thankful for the dedication and love you all have shown in preparation for my arangetram. I would like to first and foremost thank God for giving me the opportunity and ability to dance. I would then like to thank my gurus, KP Yesodha and Katherine Kunhiraman, in caring for me as a student and as a person. I will be forever grateful for them dedicating themselves to training me in terms of Bharatanatyam, but more importantly ensuring my overall wellbeing during the arangetram process. I will always remember them relaying cherished stories of their experiences, and, of course, making sure that I've eaten all my protein after practices. I would also like to thank Barbara Aunty and Kali Aunty for being leaders in the art form and guiding me throughout my journey as well.
My arangetram would not be complete without all the volunteers who have dedicated themselves to organizing and planning for the show for weeks, if not months; all of your support is truly overwhelming and I extend much gratitude towards them.
I would also like to thank my Kalanjali family - from being a true community in and out of the studio since day 1 of my dance journey, as my joy for this activity would not be complete without them. I would like to especially thank Anjali Aunty who has taken so much time out of her busy schedule to coordinate drop-offs, pick-ups, and so much more for me in the past year.
I would not be dancing if it weren’t for my family, especially my parents, brother, and grandparents, so I have endless gratitude for their support and dedication to my artistic endeavors and especially my mother for inspiring me to start dancing at an early age.
Finally, I would like to thank the audience, here or on the live stream, for being at my arangetram to support me, the community, and the arts.
The celebration of this activity wouldn’t exist without all of you, and I deeply thank you for the time you all have taken out of your day to watch me perform!
