Born and raised in India, Sunanda Narayanan is an acclaimed exponent of the ancient South Indian classical dance style called Bharatanatyam and practices in the ‘Vazhuvoor’ style. Narayanan is the prime disciple of Guru Rhadha, one of the foremost teachers and choreographers of Bharatanatyam today and holds two diplomas in Indian Classical Dance Theory from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, India, and from the Association of Bharatanatyam Artists of India (ABHAI). Classical music is intrinsic to Bharatanatyam and Narayanan is trained in vocal Indian classical music from eminent gurus in India.

Narayanan has been performing for more than three decades and has presented over 250 public performances. Apart from the Senior Scholarship of the Government of India, she was selected by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram (a State Government Cultural Association in India) to perform under their sponsorship as well. 

Narayanan is the Director of the Thillai Fine Arts Academy in Newton, MA, where she trains students in the tradition of Bharatanatyam. Many of her students have won awards at prestigious Indian dance competitions across the U.S. As a choreographer, Narayanan has presented multiple solo and group productions, both traditional and contemporary, and her performances have been featured by leading Indian television networks on several occasions and she has presented lecture-demonstrations and workshops at museums, schools, and colleges in several cities in the U.S, Canada, India, and Brazil. A graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Narayanan also works part-time at WGBH, Boston.

Sunanda Narayanan teaches Bharatanatyam in the Fall semesters. 

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