who are we
Indian-Fusion Dance Academy was founded by Selvi Pragasam with a vision of developing it into a complete Indian Finearts Mecca. IFDA, as the school is fondly abbreviated, is well on its way to making this dream come true. With the realisation of this vision Indian-Fusion Dance Academy will be the only one of its kind in the whole of North America. Enrolling over 150 students every quarter, IFDA stands apart from other dance schools in the area.
why choose IFDA?
Here are some reasons why you should join Indian-Fusion Dance Academy
Expertise of Instructors: Our instructors are experts in their field of instruction. We have a varied skill staff so it is possible to cover all Indian dance forms as opposed to most schools offering only Bollywood. Our instructors are also well experienced teachers besides being good choreographers and dancers. We do not have students and inexperienced people teaching. So you can be sure of the quality of instruction.
Family Environment/Personal touch: We at IFDA go to great lengths to make sure we know each and everyone of our students not just by their names but, also their personal interests and their families thereby making it possible to have the personal touch. The students form a bond with the instructors and many of the families form relationships that go beyond the walls of the dance school.
Consistency and Stability: Our school has been formed for people in the area by people in the area so we are here for you always. We have instructors who are permanent. We do not have people who are changing constantly.
Organization and Vision: Our school was formed not just for business purposes, but to serve the community in which it is, to give back and thereby instill values that will last a life time in your child. IFDA's special need peer volunteer program and fundraisers are an example of this sincere effort. IFDA is also a Limited Liability Company paying its due share of taxes to the city and state.
Customization and Quality of Choreography: We make sure that the choreography is customised and appropriate for each class. We do not follow a cookie cutter method. Every dance and every class is unique giving rise to the best quality.
Opportunities/Recognition: We make sure every student is recognized. We provide opportunity for all students to participate in events/shows both with the school and outside. We also provide opportunities for all students to compete once they are ready. There is no partiality to a hand picked group of students. Everyone is special at IFDA.
Novelty while keeping traditions alive: Every session we make sure we have a variety of dances that teach our students our wonderful traditional art forms, be it classical or folk. We infuse it with newer techniques so that the students enjoy newer forms of dance while not compromising on our valued tradition and culture.
Our Instructors
About Selvi
Selvi is the Director and Founder of Indian-Fusion Dance Academy. She founded IFDA in October of 2006. Since then the school has grown rapidly and has a present enrollment of 140 students.Dance education and training:
Selvi learnt Bharathanatiyam for over 8 years and graduated from the prestigious Kalaikaviri School of Fine Arts, affiliated with Bharathidasan University in Trichy, India.
Kalaikaviri is based on the Kalashetra style of Bharathanatiyam and she was taught by well known gurus from Kalakshetra. Her gurus included Shri V. P. Dhananjayan and Smt. Shanta Dhananjayan, Sri. Narasimha Chary and Smt. Vijaya Mugundan among others. She learnt Bharathanatiyam along with extensive theory. She learnt Mohiniattam, a classical dance from Kerala. She learnt folk dances of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan. The specific folk dances include Kummi, Kolattam, Poikaal Kuthirai, Bhangra, Dandia/Garba and Rajasthani folk
After moving to the US she continued to learn from Smt. Sundara Swaminathan and Smt.Sugantha Iyer.
Performances and Choreography - India and Europe:
While still a student she was one of the six selected to represent Kalaikaviri in its performances all over India and Europe. She traveled 6 nations in Europe including Austria, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Vatican. The highlight of her Europe trip was when her troupe was requested to perform before his excellency, Pope John Paul II.
In India she performed in inter-college and inter-university competitions winning several honors.
Performances and Choreography - US
After moving to the US she was the cultural director of Lehigh Valley Indian Association. She choreographed and performed on various occasions. One of her choreographies that attained critical acclaim by the Lehigh Valley mainstrean community was when she choreographed a Indian-fusion dance drama called 'A Dancer's Dream'. The dance drama potrayed a fusion of Indian classical including Odissi, Kathak and Bharthanatiyam with western Jazz/hip hop. The climax of the performance was when the dancers dance their respective dance styles to Billy Joel's 'We didn't start the fire'.
In 1997 her family moved to California. She has since then been involved in an Organization called Jeena which is a support organization for families who have special need children. She is a board member there and has choreographed for children with special needs. She has also choreographed and performed for Jeena's awareness event called Jeena Yahaan for the past 4 years.
She has also choreographed for the Tamil Catholic Community in the Bay Area for various celebrations representing the Indian Catholic Community.
About Lavanya
Lavanya will be teaching dance along with Selvi starting Fall 2008
Dance education and training:
Lavanya Gopal is a disciple of Smt Rukmini Srinivasan and Smt Padmini Ravi. She started learning Bharathanatyam from a tender age of seven. She was one of the first disciples of Smt Rukmini Srinivasan and has been trained under her for almost 8 years in the widely practiced Tanjavur and Mysore style. She also continued her dance lessons from Smt Padmini Ravi for almost four years. She has completed dance exams under the guidance of Smt Rukmini Srinivasan and has innumerable performances to her credit.
Performances and Choreography
Some of her performances include "Rasa Leela Tarangini", in which she played the main role, Bhaktha Prahalada, Dashavatharam, Srinivasa kalyanam, etc. She won the first prize for an intercollegiate Bharathanatyam competition held from all over Karnataka. Lavanya is a Post Graduate in Marketing Management and also has a masters degree in Sanskrit. She has also learnt carnatic music for eight years under the guidance of her aunt and Guru Smt Vijayavalli Rajagopalan.
Her incredible background/traininbg, her passion to work with children and her most pleasing nature has made her to be the right choice to join the faculty at IFDA.
About Rupinder
Rupinderjit Maan Panjeta Will be teaching Bhangra & Gidhha(Punjabi Folk dances).
Rupinder is skilled at both Bhangra and Giddha. She started learning Bhangra and Giddha during her school days. She learned both the dances for good amount of time. She did many performances from school days and won competitions then continued the spirit over to her college days in India. After moving to USA she graduated as a computer engineer from San Jose state university.
Performances and Choreography
Bhangra is quickly catching attention in the western world. It is one of the many Punjabi musical art forms. Bhangra is a dance performed to the fusion of music, singing and mainly the beat of the Dhol drum. It can be done by both Males and Females. Giddha is a dance performed by only women although it is as energetic and vibrant as Bhangra, both the dances are completely different. In Giddha the dancers enact verses called Bolis, representing a wide variety of subjects - everything from arguments with a sister-in-law to political affairs. The rhythm of the dance depends not only the drums, but also on the handclaps of the dancers. It displays the feminine grace, elegance and elasticity.
She is from Chandigarh which is capital of Punjab. Coming from a solid Punjabi background she is well accustomed to both the dances. She is fun loving, jovial and dancing is her passion. Her rich background in both Bhangra and Giddha and the spirit to work with the children is a perfect combination to join the IFDA Team.
About Gayathri
Carnatic music classes starting Fall 2008 will be taught by Ms. Gayathri Ganapati
Music education and training:
15+ years of training in Carnatic music
Started initial training under Rama Ravi (student of D.K.Jayaraman) in Calcutta, Continued with Sankaramurthy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bangalore
Advanced/Intensive training under Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam (reknowned violinist and sister of Lalgudi Jayaraman) in Chennai
Advanced/Intensive/Voice training under Sita Rajan (Student of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer)
Performances And Honors:
Won First (Tambura) prize in the Indian Fine Arts Competition in 1993 and the opportunity to perform for the next season. Won Best Vocalist in the Indian Fine Arts concerts in 1994 for that level.
Selected to represent Chennai in National All India Radio competitions in 1993 for both Classical and Semi-classical categories.
Performed in the Spirit of Youth Concert Series in Music academy in 1994.
Performed for Kapali Fine Arts at Sastri Hall in 1995.
Performed for All India Radio as a B Grade artist till
1997.
Featured in the Indian Express newspaper as the
Personality of the Week in August 1993.
Shoba began practicing Hatha yoga seriously after the birth of her two boys. She completed a 200-hour teacher training at Simply Yoga, New Jersey studying with Jo Ann Carter and Carol Cook. She recently completed a Level-1 teacher’s training through YogaFit and additional special training to teach yoga for kids. Shoba has had the opportunity to learn from Senior Iyengar yoga teachers Bobbi Goldin, Dean Lerner and Bobby Clenell in the USA. She currently continues her practice with Senior Bay area teacher, Anirudh Shastri. Her classes integrate movement with breath and she encourages her students to explore their path of yoga with an open and curious mind. Yoga has been a part of Aruna’s life since she was a child. She used to “practice” with her friend in the grass for fun. Her interest in yoga intensified after motherhood and she has had a regular practice for the past 7 years. She has undergone a 9 month yoga teacher training at the Centre for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose through the YES program by Joyce Anue. She has had the good fortune to study with highly respected yoga teachers in the U.S and India over the years. She is also deeply interested in meditation and Buddhism and has participated in a silent retreat. Her yoga classes are heart-centered and awareness-based with an emphasis on the breath as a bridge between mind and body.
About Shobana
Shobana Mani, Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200)
About Aruna
Akkapeddi, Yoga Teacher (200-hr)