Keerthana (Dr. Ramana Sidhaye)

🪔 About

Dr. Keerthana Sidhaye, also known as Dr. Ramana Sidhaye, is a prominent Kuchipudi dancer, teacher, and the current Director of Kalamandapam, a Gurukulam-style school of music and dance based in Washington D.C.. She began her classical dance training at the age of four under the tutelage of her mother, Smt. Mrinalini Sadananda, who is also a renowned Kuchipudi dancer and guru and the founder of Kalamandapam. Keerthana Sidhaye further honed her skills as a disciple of the legendary Kuchipudi maestro, Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, spending her school-age summers in Chennai for intensive training. Beyond her contributions to Indian classical dance, Dr. Sidhaye holds a distinguished professional career as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She has performed in various productions and has taken on lead roles, demonstrating her versatility in portraying diverse characters from deities to folk dancers. She is actively involved in teaching and promoting Kuchipudi through Kalamandapam, which offers rigorous training in the art form.