Nithya is an established scholar in the field and has had over two decades of rigorous training in Bharatanatyam under acharya Sri Ashok Kumar. She completed her Arangetram in 2007 and was awarded a scholarship from the Karnataka Sangeetha Nrithya Academy to support her training. Nithya completed the pre and antima vidwath examinations offered by the Karnataka State Secondary Education Board in 2013-14 and earned the title "Vidushi" or scholar. As one of the principal dancers of the Natyanjali troupe under Guru Ashok Kumar's tutelage, Nithya performed over 250 shows and had the opportunity to play the lead role and strong characters in several major productions of Natyanjali School of Dance. Along with the team, Nithya has travelled extensively for performances at prestigious events across India and in UK and Dubai.
Some of her noteworthy solo performances:
Udupi Krishna Temple on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami in 2007. The program was telecast live by local media channels
Performance in the distinguished presence of the Governor of Karnataka his Excellency, Hansraj Bharadwaj at Vidyapeeta, Bangalore in 2007
Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Bharatiya Hindu Temple, Ohio, and in Detroit in 2011
Performance sponsored by the Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore in 2013
Performance sponsored by the ICCR and Youth Writer’s guild as part of their every Friday cultural program in 2013
Lecture demonstration at the International House of Rhode Island, USA in 2015
Performance at Poornaprajna Vidyapeeta, Bangalore on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, 2016
State House of Rhode Island on the occasion of Diwali, 2016
Inauguration of the Mahatma Gandhi Cultural Center, Providence, USA 2016
ArtWorks Festival, Hopkins Center for Arts at Dartmouth, Hanover NH in 2017 and 2018
Featured artist in the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival 2020
HopStops at the Hopkins Center for Arts, November 2020
Featured artist in the Reimagining Medicine Festival, Geisel School of Medicine, 2021
Junction Dance Festival, 2023 as part of a fellowship through Aseemkala Initiative
Boston WiP Festival, Medford, MA, 2023
Art in MedEd Festival, Icahn School of Medicine, October 2023
International Human Rights Art Festival, The Tank, NYC, December 2023
Junction Dance Festival, July 2024
Upcoming Performances
Please follow my Instagram account @natyaroha for regular updates!
Noteworthy Workshops
Customized workshop:
Hopkins Center for Arts - Diwali on View
Nithya worked with the museum director to identify artwork and bring its story to life through an engaging workshop. The piece "Rama Attended by Sita and Lakshmana" from the Hood Museum of Art's collection was selected and Nithya curated a session on the piece's connection to Diwali. Then, using hand gestures, facial expressions, and movements, the attendees brought the art to life through dance! Click here for more information.
Standard workshops:
Dartmouth College - Asian and Pacific Islanders Caucus Group Session: Introduction to Bharatanatyam
Nithya took the group through basic movements in Bharatanatyam and the 90-minute session culminated with the group applying the movements they learned in the session in a choreographed piece to music.
Junction Dance Festival, Indian Dance 101
Nithya provided participants with an exploration of Indian dance, covering the basic movements of both classical and folk styles. Attendees gained a deeper understanding of the differences between these dance forms while learning fundamental techniques from each.
