Reeya’s Teacher, Smt. Anandini Chandra Sekhar
Reeya started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 5 years under the skillful guidance of Anandini, who has been more than a teacher. She has been a mentor and an inspiration, guiding Reeya through the intricate ways of expression and connecting to the spiritual essence that Bharatanatyam so elegantly encapsulates. Having grown up in Michigan, Anandini acquired this knowledge from her mother Guru Sudha Chandrasekhar who continues to be a pioneer and master teacher. We are grateful to be part of this heritage and authentic guidance.
Anandini Chandra Sekhar is the youngest daughter and student of Guru "Natya Veda Bharati" Sudha Chandra Sekhar. The third generation of dancers and musicians in her family, Anandini received further training from Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai, Guru K. Kalyanasundaram and Guru Karunambal of Sri Raja Rajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir in the pristine Thanjavur style. She has been performing Bharata Natyam since the age of 2, and teaching for over 20 years in various centers in Michigan, Chicago, New York and the Boston area. Anandini has additional training in Kathak, Kuchipudi and Mohini Attam as well as ballet, jazz, tap, musical theater, contemporary dance and African dance. Outside of dance, Anandini works in digital marketing and plays keyboards and sings with the popular local Bollywood band Din Check.
Guru Smt. Sudha Chandra Sekhar
Sudha's extensive experience dates back to 1943, when she first began her classical dance training in Manipuri and Kathak at the Rupatayan Institute in Bombay, India. She began studying Bharata Natyam in 1945 under the guidance of great gurus such as Sri Thiruvidaimarudur Kuppiah Pillai, Guru A.T. Govindraj Pillai, Srimati Karunambal, Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai and Guru K. Kalyanasundaram, the renowned masters of the Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kalamandir. They trained her intensively in the Thanjavur style, as passed down from the great Panchapakesha Nattuvanaar, Guru Kuppiah Pillai's own great-grandfather and the author of the Abhinaya Navaneetham, a treatise on Bharata Natyam in the language Tamil. Sudha has received numerous accolades and titles including Bharata Kala Shreshta and Natya Veda Bharati. She has conducted 119 arangetrams and continues to teach and perform today at the age of 81. The Vidyanjali dancers have the opportunity to participate in master classes with Sudha Aunty when she visits Boston.