SIMANTI CHATTERJEE
Founder, Artistic Director, President, Odissi Expert, Instructor, Choreographer & Performer at D'Va Professional Troupe| Memphis
With over 19 years of dance training, Simanti is the founder of DanceVersify. She has extensive training in the Indian Classical Dance of Odissi from Guru Gajendra Panda and Mrs. Poushali Mukherjee. Since the age of 3, she has been training in the Dancers' Guild with Late Ms. Ranjabati Sircar, in the unique form of NavaNrityam, an alchemy of Natya (Dance) Yoga with Odissi, Bharatanatyam and the martial arts of Kalari and Chhau. Under the tutelage of Guru Amala Shankar, she has garnered the creative Indian Ballet style. Alongside the strong foundation of traditional forms, she has trained in Bollywood workshops with the legendary Saroj Khan and Shiamak Davar.
Simanti has been choreographing and teaching since 16+ years, earning wide acclaim for her commitment and artistic excellence. She lives in Memphis (TN) with her husband, and also works as an Engagement Manager at FedEx.
AARTI SETHURAMAN
Vice-President, Yoga Expert, Instructor, Choreographer & Performer at D'Va Professional Troupe| Memphis
Voltaire quotes "let us read, let us dance, these two amusements never do any harm to the world". Aarti took this a little too seriously; as a scientist by vocation, she reads a ton in the day; and after that, she dances her heart out as a member of the D'Va squad. Aarti grew up in the city of dreams, Mumbai. At 3 years of age, her insightful mother nurtured this passion of hers and let her dabble in a variety of dance forms. Bollywood being her biggest allure, she trained under Shaimak Davar for 3 years. From there on, she has trained in Salsa, Contemporary and is a certified Zumba Instructor. She is well versed with Hatha, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Shamanic, and Vinyasa yoga; and is a certified expert of Hatha and Kundalini yoga forms amongst others. She is an avid yogi, ardent dancer and a doting mother.
Aarti's vision is the incorporation of Natya Yoga to our unique alchemy of NavaNritya. Her passion for dance bundled with 12+ years of yoga experience neatly bow-wrapped together is what she brings in to D'Va ensemble!
"Books, music & dance is all one needs!" - Aarti
SAHITI KILARU
Treasurer, Choreographer, Instructor & Performer at D'Va Professional Troupe| Memphis
A powerhouse of vibrant energy, Sahiti grew up in South India and started dancing at the age of 5. She has always been a dance enthusiast, who learnt the Indian Classical Dance of Bharatanatyam & Kuchipudi, and competed in different genres of dance for over 10 years. She loves the adrenaline rush of hip-hop, folk, modern and contemporary, but also feels devoted to a classical dance form. She has performed at various platforms ranging from IIM Bangalore (India) to theaters in the mid-south US. Sahiti joined the D’Va Squad in 2015 and has been a part of this dance family since then. At DanceVersify she also expanded her interest in Indian Classical dance of Odissi and has started pursuing it. She loves inspiring children to explore different dance forms and discover their interests.
Outside of dance, she loves much travelling and acting. She also holds a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration. She lives in Memphis (TN), and works as a software professional for MLGW.
"It is never too late to learn something new" - Sahiti
SWATI KIRTI
Choreographer, Instructor & Performer at D'Va Professional Troupe| Bentonville
Swati has trained in Kathak since the age of 5 and is a self-taught Bollywood-style dancer. An avid fan of Madhuri Dixit, she has been an integral member of the DVa team since its inception. With numerous performances across Mid-south Memphis region, she has a plethora of experience and knowledge in different dance forms. Being a lifelong student of dance, she is currently training in Odissi and advanced contemporary dance styles to further expand her skill sets.
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When not dancing, Swati works as Manager at Walmart, AR. She is our own math-guru and enjoys free time with her adorable daughter or volunteering. Over years she has held numerous positions in Indian Association of Memphis (IAM), as President of IAM (2017) and Head of Youth Committee (2018). With 'YOLO' being her mantra of life, she loves traveling across the globe and has hiked her way to glaciers, mountains and volcanoes!
"You only live once (YOLO)" - Swati
KOMAL SODHI
Secretary, Choreographer, Instructor & Performer at D’Va Professional Troupe | Memphis
The “Sardarni” of the group, Komal was born and brought up in Chandigarh. Being born in a Punjabi Sikh family, dance and music comes in her blood. She started dancing at the age of 6 and has performed in various genres of dance like Bollywood, folk and Contemporary, but her specialization is in the traditional folk dance of Punjab – BHANGRA. Komal has been trained in Bhangra and has given power-packed performances for 12+ years at various Inter-college and Inter-University competitions in India. She has not restricted herself to just one dance form and has learnt the basics of Indian Classical dance forms like Kathak and Bharatnatyam & Odissi. Komal joined the D’Va squad in 2014 has performed at various theatres in mid-south US.
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She is a consummate professional with an eye for detail and an absolute delight to have around. Outside of dance, Komal loves to travel and cook. She lives in Memphis with her husband and works as an IT Scrum Master at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“Practice like you’ve never won, Perform like you’ve never lost” - Komal
LEENA WAGLE
Belly-Dance Expert, Choreographer, Instructor & Performer at D’Va Professional Troupe | Memphis
A dancer at heart, Leena started her formal dance training, at the age of four in Bharatanatyam, under the guidance of Guru Ashwini Tate at Ashwini Kala Kendra. Although trained in Bharatanatyam, the fun movements, expressions, and drama of Bollywood dance, always held a special place in her heart. During a trial dance class at the FedEx company gym, she stumbled upon the ancient dance form of Oriental belly dance and immediately fell in love with the music, movement, and fluidity of this dance form. She trained in Oriental belly dance under Jasmine Shope-Beldsoe of ‘Dance with Jasmine’ for 5 years. After opening for the Harlem Globetrotters at the FedEx Forum, Leena continued her belly dance training in Turkish Roma gypsy style and also studied other belly dance styles under Linda Riyad of Nashville, Amani Jabril of Atlanta, Shannon Dinger of Little Rock and performed at workshops and presentations in Nashville, TN and Little Rock, AR.
She has a vivid sense of style and charm that when amalgamated with her generous soul exudes a radiance of an angel wearing belly dance wings! Leena works as a Revenue Mgmt. Advisor at FedEx Services and lives in Cordova, TN with her 5 year old son.
TANAYA NANDEDEKAR
Choreographer, Instructor & Performer at D’Va Professional Troupe | Memphis
Tanaya has been dancing since she could walk. Having tried out various dance styles, such as
hip hop and contemporary, she fixated on Bollywood, deciding it was the best fit for her. She
always longed to learn Indian classical dance, but moving continents every three years turned
out to be an obstacle. But not being able to learn a specific style did not hold her back from
dancing; in fact, it opened up doors for her to other styles such as ballet and street jazz which
she hadn’t previously considered. After joining the Dance Versify family in 2016, she was finally
granted the opportunity to not just learn, but perform classical dance in front of huge crowds
where she enjoyed the style to the fullest.
Tanaya was born in India, but has travelled to numerous countries and experienced the unique
cultures of many small parts of the world. She hopes to keep exploring and keep dancing
wherever she lands. Currently a college student at the University of Memphis, she aspires to
become a surgeon one day and hopes to contribute significantly in the field of medicine through
her research.
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