Guru Poornima Risbud
Artistic Director
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Renowned dancer Poornima Risbud founded Rasarang School of Performing Arts in 1997 with a passionate vision to bring traditional dances of India to the audiences across the US.
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She was trained in Bharatanatyam by Natyakala Prapurne Guru Nirmala Manjunath of Bengaluru (India). She has also learnt Kathak, another style of Indian classical dance from the legendary Guru Dr. Maya Rao of Bengaluru (India).
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Poornima has earned Vidwat in Bharatanatyam. A versatile artist, Poornima has choreographed and performed in several solo dance recitals both in India and in the US.
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​With many years of tireless efforts to share her knowledge with the school's students, Guru Poornima has nurtured budding talent and carefully tailored their skills, turning the activity of learning dance into an enjoyable experience.
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Under Guru Poornima's guidance, many of her students have completed their Rangapravesha -- a solo dance debut that signifies culmination of the initial training of a dancer. Also, some of her students have completed Samved's Elementary Level Examination in Bharatanatyam.
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Her most recent production Abhignana Shakuntalam had the audience mesmerized and won critical acclaim in the New England area. Poornima conceptualized this dance drama based on the original Sanskrit epic by Mahakavi Kalidas. She worked with well-known musician Praveen D. Rao from Bengaluru (India) who composed specially for this superbly choreographed project.​
Shachi Risbud
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Shachi Risbud has been trained from a very young age of 3 years by her mother Poornima Risbud in Bharatanatyam and folk styles. She also learnt western dance styles such as Ballet, Lyric, Jazz, and Tap for over 5 years.​
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Shachi has successfully created unique fusion items with her affinity for good aspects of different forms of dance and music of the world.​ She helps to choreograph many of Rasarang's productions.
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Also, she has been captain of BU Jalwa, one of the competitive fusion dance teams at the Boston University. Under Shachi's captainship, BU Jalwa ranked among the best 10 collegiate fusion dance teams in the US.
What makes Rasarang different:
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Although rooted in traditional Bharatanatyam style of Indian classical dance, Rasarang constantly explores new creative ways to surface the true essence of Indian dance. With its distinctive style of presentation by fusing ethnic and modern genres of dance, Rasarang has evolved into one of the major dance schools in the New England area.
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Under Guru Poornima's creative and inspiring leadership, each dance composition is carefully created with intricate details of choreography, thematic costumes, and suitable stage effects. Its musical compositions are a confluence of traditional Indian classical and folk music and a wide range of world music.