Anu Samrat

🪔 About

Anuradha Samrat, widely known as Anu Samrat, is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and educator based in the greater Seattle area, USA. Her extensive training in Indian classical dance began at the tender age of six in Chennai, India, where she immersed herself in Bharatanatyam at Kalasagara. Her Bharatanatyam gurus, Smt. Malathy Thotadri and Smt. Usha Raghavan, were themselves distinguished disciples of the legendary Shri Adyar Lakshmanan and Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan. Complementing her dance education, Anu also pursued Carnatic music lessons under Smt. Savitri Satyamurti and Mrs. Mayuravalli Srinivasan, culminating in her Bharatanatya arangEtram at the age of eleven. While pursuing her Masters in Physics in Illinois, Anu Samrat expanded her artistic repertoire by learning Mohiniyattam from Smt. Smitha Rajan in St. Louis. Her career as a performer has seen her grace stages across India, the USA, and Berlin, Germany, and she has also served as a judge for a classical dance competition in Dublin, Ireland. In April 2013, Anu Samrat founded "Alapadma," an Indian classical dance school in the greater Seattle area, where she imparts training in both Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. As a trained dancer and musician, she possesses the unique ability to compose music for her choreographies. She continues to refine her artistry through Dhrupad lessons from Shahana Dattagupta and specialized dance lessons from various professional dancers. Anu Samrat has choreographed significant productions, including "Shivah Shivaa" in collaboration with dancer-musician Vinod Menon, which has been presented in multiple cities including Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, Chennai, and Berlin. Her contributions to Indian classical dance have been recognized with the "Natya Ratna" award by the Trinity Arts Foundation, Chennai, in 2014, and she is also the recipient of the Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship's Master awardee for 2024-25. Her students and the Alapadma ensemble regularly perform at various cultural events in the Seattle area. Awards & Honours: Natya Ratna (2014), Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship's Master awardee (2024).