Purna Bajekal

🪔 About

Purna Bajekal is an accomplished Indian classical dancer specializing in Bharatanatyam, based in Austin, Texas. She began her dance journey at the age of three at the Slavin-Nadal School of Ballet, and by age six, she commenced her Bharatanatyam training under the tutelage of her mother, Smt. Anuradha Naimpally, the Artistic Director of Austin Dance India (ADI). Throughout her childhood, Bajekal explored diverse dance forms, including tap, ballet, jazz, and modern, at Tapestry Dance Company, later joining their pre-professional company, Visions in Rhythm, in 2009. Her career as a Bharatanatyam artist has seen her perform and tour extensively across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and India. In 2009, Bajekal began sharing her knowledge by teaching classes at Austin Dance India, where she now serves as Assistant Director, instructor, choreographer, and performer. A significant milestone in her career was her solo debut performance, or arangetram, which she completed in 2012. Bajekal was a key part of the 2011 production "Parampara," which garnered the coveted Best Dance Concert award from the Austin Critics' Circle and was recognized by the Austin Chronicle as one of the top five performances of that year. Her collaborative performance with her mother, "Two Generations, One Tradition," received a nomination for Best Duet Performance by the Austin Critics' Circle in 2013. That same year, she presented a full-length solo performance in Mumbai, India. In 2014, she participated in the ADI Heritage Tour, performing at seven historic temples across South India, and in 2015, she co-directed "Girl Power!" for ADI's 25th anniversary, a production focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She continues to perform with the Austin Dance India ensemble, including in recent productions like "Love Beyond Time". Beyond her dance career, Purna Bajekal is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and Dance Movement Therapist, integrating her understanding of movement as a therapeutic modality. Awards & Honours: Best Dance Concert (2011), Top Five Performances of 2011 (2011), Best Duet Performance (Nomination) (2013).