Dr. Malini Ranganathan

🪔 About

Dr. Malini Ranganathan is an Indian-born French Kathak exponent, choreographer, and educational scientist, based in Nantes, France, where she has resided since 1983. She is recognized as a cultural ambassador, merging Indian classical dance with French aesthetics, and has performed extensively across India, the USA, Canada, and Europe. Dr. Ranganathan received her initial training in Kathak from Guru Damayanti Joshi (Lucknow Gharana) and Guru Roshan Kumari (Jaipur Gharana). She also studied Odissi under Guru Mahadev Raut. Her musical background includes Hindustani Sitar, Carnatic music, and Nattuvangam, which she learned from her mother, Leela Gopalan. Beyond dance, Dr. Ranganathan holds a degree in textile design from the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and pursued higher education in France, earning an MPhil and a PhD in Educational Science from the European University, specializing in cross-cultural didactics. In 1996, she founded the "Bindi Association" (also known as "Bindi, a Centre for Indian Arts") to promote Indian arts and for the pedagogical transmission of classical Kathak and Bollywood dance in France. She is credited with pioneering a new teaching protocol for Kathak dance, recognized by the French University, which integrates traditional content with methods tailored for non-Indian students. She began teaching Indian classical dance in 1986 and by 1996 had trained over 400 dancers. As of 2019, she had approximately 150 students, predominantly French, with her daughter Darshini also being a student. Dr. Ranganathan has also served as a professor at the National Conservatory of Dance, Lyon, and the Merce Cunningham School of Dance. She has curated significant cultural events, including the Summer Festival of Nantes and the Namaste France festival. Awards & Honours: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (2019), Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2024), Medal of Excellence (2019).