Gurukrupa School of Indian Dance · Presents
Bharatanatyam Arangetram of
Varshaa Nandakumar
Disciple of Guru Smt. Karpagavalli Sai Sankar
July 5th, 2026
✦
Sunday · 3:00 PM ET
Gurukrupa School of Indian Dance · Presents
Bharatanatyam Arangetram of
Disciple of Guru Smt. Karpagavalli Sai Sankar
July 5th, 2026
Varshaa Nandakumar is a rising freshman at Panther Creek high school. She started her Bharatnatyam journey at the age of 3 under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Nimmi Geetha Narasimha, in Dayton, Ohio. She continued honing her skills under the teachings of Guru Smt. Chanchal Hari once her family moved to North Carolina. Then a few years later, Varshaa joined Gurukrupa School of Indian Dance under the guidance of Guru Smt. Karpagavalli Sai Sankar.
Varshaa's interest for dance bloomed and she was eager to participate in all the performances she could. She has participated in performances for Tamil Sangam, TCA, Cary Diwali, World Dance Fest, TATA, and more. She has also participated in Gurukrupa's dance dramas such as Shiva Shakthi, Krishnarpanam 2, Mahatripura Sundari, Venkatadri Vaibhavam, and Hari Hara Sudhan. Varshaa is also blessed to have been able to participate in Vayuputra, Karna, Marudhiruvar, and Sakuntala, extraordinary dance dramas by Guru Kalaimamani Sri Madurai R. Muralidharan. Broadening her understanding of Bharatnatyam, Varshaa is currently working towards a 4-year advanced diploma from Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswavidyalayam located in Tirupati, India. She is deeply grateful to her Guru Smt. Karpagavalli Sai Sankar for providing her with all these amazing opportunities, and for helping her grow not just as a dancer but as a person. Through learning Bharatnatyam Varshaa has been able to connect with her culture and embrace the ancient art form.
Besides dance, she enjoys playing the alto saxophone(under Mr. Justin Berry), and veena(under Mrs. Gowri Srinivas). She participates in Trinity College, London piano exams annually, and learns under the guidance of Mrs. Sangeetha Michael. Varshaa is also quite involved in Mills Park Middle School's activities and is part of her school's band, SPARK(Support, Promote, Advocate, Respect, and Knowledge) and NJHS(National Junior Honor Society) clubs. She also learns Kalari Adimurai(an ancient martial art form) under the guidance of her Asan(teacher), Mr. Bharath Ramamurthy. In her free time, Varshaa enjoys watching TV, reading, writing, and simply relaxing.
This is an invocatory item in praise of Lord Ganapathy, the elephant-headed deity. The song describes the form of Lord Ganapathy, who represents "Om", his qualities, and the benefits of praying to him. The devotee seeks refuge and asks to be showered with grace.
The Alarippu focuses on "Nritta", or the pure dance aspect of Bharatanatyam. The dancer portrays their proficiency in all the 3 kalas (speeds) of rhythm and performs the movements in absolute harmony with their heads, hands, and feet.
This padam is about Lord Muruga, residing on Pazhani Malai, as the dancer prays to him for protection. Lord Muruga bestows light ("arul oli") to remove the darkness ("irul") of danger and sin, and showers us with his kindness.
Followed by Thirupugazh set by Arunagirinathar, a significant contribution to Tamil Literature, which is highly respected in the Hindu devotional tradition.
The varnam is the centerpiece of the Bharatanatyam recital, putting the proficiency of the dancer to the test. This varnam centers on the blissful dancing form of Lord Shiva at the Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. The first story tells the tale of how Lord Shiva dances with Goddess Kaali and wins their competition by lifting his foot above his head. Next, the story of the divine wedding of Goddess Meenakshi to Lord Sundareswaran, in the temple city of Madurai, is portrayed. The varnam also tells the story of Nandanar, a devotee of Lord Shiva who was unable to enter the temple and pray. Nandanar proceeds to pray from outside the temple, trying to get a view of Lord Shiva through the open temple doors. However, Nandhi, Shiva's celestial mount, is blocking Nandanar's view of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, upon seeing the dedication of his devotee, instructs Nandhi to move, allowing Nandanar to view Shiva's holy form. Finally, the Charanam calls upon Lord Shiva, the consort of Goddess Uma, to come quickly and help the devotee, as he is the only refuge.
This very powerful Mahishasura Mardhini stotram is a prayer to Goddess Durga for her blessings and protection. Devotees seek Devi's blessings for courage, peace, and strength upon Devi's defeat of the buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasura, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
This song is in praise of Lord Krishna and his mother, Yashodha. The item describes how fortunate Yashodha is to so innocently play with her son, Lord Krishna, without fully grasping his divine being.
This item is pure Nritta (footwork), with some abhinaya (expression) at the end of the korvais. This composition describes the famous Lord Narasimha, as the dancer seeks blessings from him.
This finale piece is a devotional hymn in praise of Lord Hanuman, the monkey god. Devotees praise Lord Hanuman for his courage, wisdom, compassion, strength, and utmost devotion to Lord Rama. Lord Hanuman fulfilled all of Lord Rama's tasks and is known as a protector to all. He is a symbol of auspiciousness and strength to all those who pray to him.
Guru Smt. Karpagavalli Sai Sankar is the Founder and Director of Gurukrupa School of Indian Dance, located in Cary, North Carolina. Gurukrupa's mission is to foster Indian culture in the minds of young people and reach a higher altitude of devotion (Bhakthi) through dance.
She began learning dance at the age of 3 from Guru Kalaimamani Smt. Krishnakumari Narendran (Pandanallur style) and Acharya Guru Sri Udupi Lakshminayayanan (Kancheepuram Ellappa Style). At 10, she took the lead role in the feature film Purandaradasar, earning the Best Child Artist State Award in 1980 and the Best Child Artist award from the Film Fans Association, Devar Virudhu 1980. She performed a dance ballet at Colombo before Sri Lanka's former President in 1981, and won first place at the All-India Interstate Dance Competition in Delhi. She has received numerous other awards and performed at cultural venues across India, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Sydney, and Singapore.
Guru Smt. Karpagavalli began her teaching career at a young age, joining the dance faculty at one of Chennai's most reputed schools, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. With over 35 years of teaching experience, she has run her own Bharatanatyam schools in Dubai and Australia, and served on the dance faculty at Global Indian International School, Singapore and its adjoining cultural center. Since 2010, Smt. Karpagavalli has established herself as a leading Bharatanatyam instructor in the Triangle area through Gurukrupa School of Indian Dance. She has staged large-scale dance productions including Mahishasura Mardhini, Venkatadri Vaibhavam, Shambho Mahadeva, Mahatripurasundari, Pancha Bhootha Sthalapuranam, Krishnarpanam Parts 1 & 2, and Harihara Sudhan, each featuring upwards of 80 students and raising funds for charitable causes including SAFE Child, Different But Able Foundation, Arts for Dreams, Sri Venkateswara Temple of NC, Triad Hindu Temple Greensboro, the Reaction Team, and Shankar Nethralaya. She has also brought internationally acclaimed productions to North Carolina, including Karna by renowned composer and dance dramatist Sri Madurai R. Muralidaran.
To meet growing demand, Gurukrupa expanded in 2025 with new classes in Garner and Fuquay-Varina, and will open another location in Wake Forest in September 2026. Every year, approximately 80 students sit for the four-year Advanced Diploma in Bharatanatyam offered by Sri Padmavati Mahila College, Tirupati, through the Kalasala program offered by TANA. Guru Smt. Karpagavalli also takes her senior students on performance tours to Tirupati Nadaneerajanam, Chidambaram, and Kanchipuram.
Those Who Shaped Her Path
Varshaa began her Bharatanatyam journey 10 years ago under the loving guidance of Guru Smt. Nimmi Geetha Narasimha — who kindled the first flame of classical dance in her heart.
@nimmy_geetha_narasimha
An accomplished Bharatanatyam and cinema artist who trained from age 4 under Guru Kalakshetra Vilasini. Chanchal continued nurturing Varshaa's artistry after the family's move to North Carolina.
kalaanjali.org
An Arangetram represents years of rigorous training, dedication, and cultural connection, a milestone that is never achieved alone. Behind Varshaa's grace on stage is the foundational love, sacrifice, and encouragement of her family.
Grateful to her parents, Sharmiladevi and Nanda, whose unwavering devotion made this lifelong artistic journey possible. From driving her to countless practices across cities to nurturing her deep love for the arts, they have been her constant guides. Alongside them stands her brother Pranav, her lifelong partner-in-crime and cheerleader, who has shared in every step of this journey.
This milestone is a true reflection of their collective love, patience, and belief in her craft. We invite you to share in the joy of our family as Varshaa takes the stage for her debut performance.
Director of Gurukrupa School of Indian Dance.
Dr. G.V. Guru Bharadwaaj is a renowned mridangam artist, composer, and educator who specializes in Layam. He began percussion training at seven, studied under Mridangam Maestro Karaikudi R. Mani, and trained in Carnatic vocal under his father Sri G.V.R. Murthy before studying under Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan. He holds an M.A. in Rhythmology and M.Phil from Madras University and a Doctorate in Mridangam from Bharatidasan University, and served five years as a lecturer at Kalakshetra. An "A-grade" artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has composed jathis, scored music for dance productions, and performed at festivals worldwide. He has accompanied hundreds of Arangetrams and received titles including Laya Tapasvi, Akshaya Laya Nipuna, and Gopalachari Award. Founder of Guru Layathvam Academy, he teaches Nattuvangam globally across Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and other Carnatic traditions.
Mithun Madhusoodanan is a distinguished Carnatic vocalist, composer, and dance accompanist. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma from the Kalakshetra Foundation, where he trained under Prof. K. Sai Sankar, and a Master's in Music from the University of Madras. A principal vocalist for Kalakshetra's dance productions from 2013 to 2020 and faculty member there through 2023, he has collaborated with Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar, and Leela Samson, and taught at the Shankar Mahadevan Academy. He studies under Vidwan T.M. Krishna.
Udupi Srijith is the son of the famous mridangam and ghatam artist Udupi Sreedhar. He is a disciple of Professor S. Easwara Varma and Trivandrum Sampath. Srijith has received the Bharatratna M.S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship Award from Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai in 2018, along with the Best Violinist Accompaniment award in the Spirit of Music and Dance Competition by Music Academy, Chennai in 2016. He won the National Music Competition conducted by All India Radio in 2015, and is a "B High" graded All India Radio artist. He also won the Best Violinist award in the Rising Star series conducted by Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, Mumbai, and the Yuva Prathibha Puraskar from Neelakanta Sivan Sangeetha Sabha, Trivandrum in 2019. Academically, he is a Post Graduate in Mathematics working in the Department of Treasuries, Kerala.
G. Sridhar is the great-grandson of "Sangeetha Kalanidhi" Sri P Swaminatha Iyer, a renowned violin vidwan. He learned flute from Smt. Vasanti Sekar and continued under Kalaimamani Smt N. Kesi, a disciple of TR Mahalingam. He holds an M.A. and M.Phil in Music from Tanjore Tamil University and is an All India Radio "A-grade" artist. Featured in the Limca Book of Indian Records for his 24-hour non-stop flute recital in 1991, he has performed across India, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. A flute teacher at TFA Singapore for 13 years and faculty at Singapore Indian Fine Arts, he received the Acharya Ratna award in 2022 from Padmashree Dr. T.V. Gopalakrishnan.
Through this Arangetram, Varshaa would like to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) — a national organization focused on ending cancer. They work to save lives and reduce suffering through research, patient support, education, and advocacy.
Please consider donating by scanning the QR code below, and make sure to include "Varshaa's Arangetram" in your donation note.
