Apoorva Jayaraman

🪔 About

Apoorva Jayaraman is an internationally renowned Bharatanatyam artiste based in Chennai, India, with a multifaceted interest in the Indian classical arts. She began her formal dance training at the age of five, initially mentored by Smt. Padmini Ravi in Bangalore and receiving strong foundational training from Ratna Supriya Sridharan. Jayaraman further honed her skills in abhinaya under Padmabhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan and has been a disciple of eminent dancer Smt. Priyadarsini Govind for over 17 years. She moved to Chennai at 16 to pursue advanced training in the art form. Beyond her performing career, Jayaraman is a Junior Fellow of the Ministry of Culture (Government of India), conducting research on "The Role of Art in Knowledge Advancement." She has conceived and curated significant dance-related conferences, notably "Navadhisha – New Voices in Dance," and edited and published the book "Why do we dance?" Her work has garnered international attention, with features in publications such as the New York Times and The Hindu. Jayaraman holds a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge and a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Oxford, demonstrating her diverse intellectual pursuits. As an educator, she is the co-founder of the RootEd Foundation, an initiative dedicated to dance education and awareness. She also leads "The Study Room," an alternative learning space for Bharatanatyam that emphasizes process-based, short-term modules. Jayaraman offers one-to-one training, workshops, and residencies, advocating for a teaching philosophy rooted in secularism, humanity, and gender sensitivity, and fostering a non-hierarchical learning environment. Awards & Honours: Nritya Ratna (The Jewel of Dance) (2013).