Bharathi Penneswaran

🪔 About

Bharathi Penneswaran is a prominent New York-based Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer, and the Artistic Director and Co-founder of Aalokam. She co-founded Aalokam in 2015 with Jyotsna Kalyansundar. Penneswaran brings over two decades of experience in training, performing, and teaching Bharatanatyam, having received over ten years of professional training under the tutelage of Shri Justin McCarthy. She holds a Post diploma in Bharatanatyam and a Yoga Teachers Training Program certification from Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. As a performer, Penneswaran has over a decade of international experience. A significant highlight of her career includes her role as the lead protagonist in the Indian National Award-Winning documentary, "O Friend, This Waiting," directed by Justin McCarthy and Sandhya Kumar. This documentary was screened in various cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, San Francisco, and Paris. She has performed in both solo and group capacities at events such as the Dance Season & Drive East of Navatman Dance Company in New York, with the India Revival Group in Montreal and Toronto, at the Rukmani Devi Arundale Music and Dance Festival, and in several of Justin McCarthy's Bharatanatyam Dance productions. Penneswaran is also a dedicated educator, having taught at prestigious institutions like Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in New Delhi and Delhi Tamil Sangham. Through Aalokam, which has locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, she continues to nurture young talent at the Aalokam Dance School. Her choreographic and educational philosophy emphasizes a balance between rigorous traditional Indian dance training and contemporary inquiry. As a producer, she leads Aalokam's efforts in creating innovative performances, festivals, and educational programs that are artist-driven and community-centered. Under her artistic direction, Aalokam has presented original productions including "Eka: A Tryst with the Divine" (2015), "Aval(she/her) – Unabashedly Herself" (2022), and "Strings of Desire" (2025). She also played a role in launching "Sparkles and Steps," an annual Diwali event for children, in 2015. Aalokam students have performed at esteemed venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.