Guru Vinitha Subramanian
Guru Smt. Vinitha Subramanian began her dancing career at the tender age of four under the tutelage of Thirukoshtiyur Nagarathna Ammal. She then went on to be trained in the Thirukoshtiyur and Pandanainallur styles under Shri Radhakrishnan of Bangalore and Madurai S. Jayaraman, She also received a year of Kathakali training under Shri Manoharan, She has given performances in diverse cities as Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Tirupati, and all over Tamilnadu. After moving to Texas, she founded Natyalaya School of Dance in 1982. Since then, she has taken scores of students through margam training, culminating in their arangetrams. Many of her students have gone on to make their own marks in the field of dance. She also has several dance dramas to her credit: “Agasthya,” “Prahala Bhakthi Vijayam,” “Nauka Charitram,” “Two faces of Shiva,” “Aaru Padai Veedu,” “Raja Rajeshwari,” “Ganga – A River’s story,” and “Navahavarna – Colors of Number Nine.” She has also won several awards, most recently the 2019 Austin Tamil Sangam Kalai Magudam Award, the 2019 Sambhrama Puraskara Award and the 2019 Agni Foundation Distinguished Artist Hall of Fame honor. Under her direction Natyalaya has grown to over 150 students with branches in North Austin, Round Rock, Leander, and East Austin.
Guru Sujatha Vinjamuri
Sujata vinjamuri has brought to St.louis the timeless art Kuchipudi in no small or compromising manner. A dancer of depth and intellect, sujata’s unique artistry combines elements of aesthetics, devotion and mysticism. Since a tender age, Sujata has been studying the very different styles under the tutelage of many distinguished gurus. She started kuchipudi with Ms. Sumathi Kaushal, and later perfected her styles under the personal tutelage of Dr.Vempati Chinna Satyam. Sujata also studied Kathak and Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Guru Gopal Rao and Ms. Uma Rama Rao. She holds a Masters from Osmania University and is currently teaching the Indian dance to over 40 students in her well established school Kuchipudi Art Academy of Dance St.louis. Sujata has conceived and produced various themes like BhagavadGita, Om Shanti, and Kundalini. She has received high critical acclaim for her performance in her thought provoking productions, both in USA and India. She has produced a documentary film “The temple and the Swan” a comparison of Kuchipudi and western Ballet dance, which was well received and appreciated by both the western and Indian audience.