Ragini Chandrasekhar

🪔 About

Ragini Chandrashekhar is a highly acclaimed Bharatanatyam exponent, recognized for her profound artistry and dedication to the classical dance form. She received her initial training from her mother, the late Guru Jamuna Krishnan, and further honed her skills under the tutelage of esteemed gurus including K.J. Govindarajan, K.N. Dakshinamoorthy Pillai, Padmabhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, and Smt. Usha Srinivasan. Her training also encompassed Carnatic vocals for 15 years under the late Shri S. Gopalakrishnan, and Nattuvangam under the late Karaikudi K. Sivakumar. With an illustrious career spanning over 25 years, Ragini Chandrashekhar is celebrated for her flawless technique, masterful nritta (pure dance), and finely nuanced abhinaya (expressive dance). Her performances are noted for their firm sense of rhythm and the strengths of the Dandayudapani Pillai bani, combined with the abhinaya aspects imbibed from Kalanidhi Narayanan. She is an 'A' graded artiste with Doordarshan and a senior empanelled artiste with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), through which she has toured extensively in countries like Turkey, China, and Hong Kong. The Ministry of Culture has recognized her as an 'Outstanding' Bharatanatyam artiste for international festivals. Beyond performing, Ragini Chandrashekhar is a dedicated teacher and choreographer. She has conducted month-long dance workshops in Paris for ARTA in 2001 and 2003, focusing on movement and poetry. She is also the President of Kalangan Trust in New Delhi, an institution dedicated to promoting Indian classical arts. As a senior empanelled artist with SPIC MACAY, she regularly performs and interacts with students at educational institutions across India, sharing the grandeur of classical arts. She is considered a torchbearer of her mother's legacy, continuing to enrich the Bharatanatyam tradition with her artistic contributions. Awards & Honours: Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar Award, Yuva Kala Bharti (2010), IIDF AWARD-2017 for Bharatanatyam (2017).