Purvi Rajyaguru Bhal

🪔 About

Purvi Rajyaguru Bhal is a prominent Kathak dancer, teacher, and the founder and artistic director of Nartan Academy of Indian Classical Dance in Germantown, Maryland, USA. She was initiated into dance by her mother, Usha Rajyaguru, and later received extensive training under Guru Dharmshi Bhai Shah, the founder of Kalakshetra Dance & Music School in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Guru Dharmshi Bhai Shah himself was trained in multiple Indian classical dance forms, including Kathak under Guru Sundar Lal Gangani. Purvi Rajyaguru Bhal holds a Visharad (Bachelor of Arts) from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, along with Shiksha Visharad and Alankar Pratham degrees. Since establishing Nartan Academy in 2005, Purvi Rajyaguru Bhal has dedicated herself to teaching Kathak to a new generation of Indian Americans in the DC Metro area. She imparts both the theoretical and practical aspects of Indian classical music and dance through a structured curriculum and examination system. She continues to learn and maintain creative partnerships with senior disciples of her Guru Dharmshi Bhai Shah, such as Murali Mohan Kalvakalva, Tushar Bhatt, and Pooja Bhatt, as well as with renowned artists like Guru Geetanjali Lal of Jaipur Gharana and Durga Arya of Lucknow Gharana of Kathak. Under her guidance, Nartan Academy has presented biennial Kathak festivals, showcasing the talents of her students and contributing to the propagation of Indian classical dance in the United States.