Shishya

Avanika Prasad, a 14 year old freshman at Northwood High School has been dancing since the age of 5. She began her initial training with Ragini Iyer and has been learning under the guidance of Smt. Ramya Harishankar at Arpana School of Dance since 2018. Alongside Bharatanatyam, Avanika excels in academics, particularly in math, and is equally accomplished in Carnatic vocal music and western piano, performing and winning numerous awards at local festivals. A dedicated student, she was a member of the National Junior Honor Society and volunteered with several organizations. Avanika actively participates on the youth committees of both the Karnataka Cultural Association and the South Indian Music Academy. Beyond her artistic and academic pursuits, she is an avid reader and a history enthusiast, proudly representing California at the National History Day competition. Along with academics, Avanika looks forward to continuing her journey in dance and the arts for many years to come.

Guru

Ramya Harishankar, artistic director of the Arpana Dance Company (ADC), a premier school/company of Bharata Natyam in California celebrated its 40 anniversary in 2022. Named ‘legacy artist’ by the California Arts Council with an Individual Artist Fellowship (2023). A ‘Distinguished citizen’/Wall of recognition honoree (2022) of the city of Irvine, she is also the recipient of the Kala Seva Bharathi (India 2012) and the Helene Modjeska Cultural Legacy award (Arts Orange County 2007).

Ennnenne Recipient of several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the California Arts Council (CAC) and Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA), Harishankar is a 2-time National Endowment for the Arts’s Choreographic Fellow. Her solo career has taken her all over the world, performing extensively in India, Asia, Europe, Australia, and N. America. She regularly conducts workshops/master classes both online and live in N. America, Europe, UK, Australia, and India. Her short ‘dance’ films – Bhumika on climate change, and Aasha…until we meet again, a tribute to 9/11 have been featured in and received awards at numerous film festivals across the world.

Ramya co-founded a nonprofit in 1989 to bring Indian classical dance to SoCal which morphed into the Ektaa Center in 2004 serving the greater community and was recently inducted into Irvine’s “Wall of Honorees”. As an artist on Segerstrom Performing Arts Center’s Arts Teach roster, Harishankar has been sharing her art with school children across S. California since 1990.

Arpana Dance Company has performed in the US, Japan, Europe, and India. Named a LA Milestone Dance Company by the Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles, the Arpana Dance Company is a recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, and Alliance for California Traditional Arts. Besides participating in festivals and events across S. California, in the last 4 decades, the Company has presented 20 full-length productions raising over $150,000 for charities worldwide.