Welcome to the August 2026 edition of the Vishwa Shanthi newsletter. Below, you will find a table of contents with links that take you directly to individual articles allowing you to easily navigate to the sections that interest you most. If you prefer reading without leaving your inbox, you can simply continue scrolling here to read the complete newsletter.
Notes from Our Artistic Director
Our academy has always stood for something simple: peace through dance and the allied arts. It’s easy to say as a tagline, but this past season reminded me how much it actually means in practice. A classroom, a rehearsal, or a shared stage can quietly bring people together, and our students carry that spirit with them long after class ends.
At VSDA, Bharatanatyam has never been only a discipline learned in the classroom. It is a way of connecting generations, cultures, and communities. Every class, rehearsal, and performance gives our students a chance to grow not just as dancers, but as people who understand patience, empathy, discipline, and what it means to work toward something together.
We saw this spirit play out in many ways over the past few months, through our Summer Refresher Sessions and online practice sessions, performances across the Bay Area, our Guru Purnima celebrations, and our continued collaboration with organisations like Yuva Bharati. Each of these gave our students a chance to carry what they’d learned beyond the classroom and offer it to a wider community.
This edition also features reflections from our arangetram students, who share what the journey taught them, from learning to practice with real purpose and manage their time, to building the resilience, confidence, and depth of understanding that only comes from seeing something difficult through.
As we begin a new year, I hope we continue to hold onto what dance gives us: a sense of connection, a space to express and be understood, and the chance to come together with a shared purpose. In our own small way, every time we learn, teach, perform, and share Bharatanatyam, we help spread a little more peace in the world.
Warm Regards,
Shreelata Suresh
Director, Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy
Teachers Corner
Roopa Suresh
A new year brings with it another beginning, another opportunity to learn, practice, improve, and most importantly, enjoy the journey. This year, let’s keep it simple and focus on three “I”s: Intent, Integrity, and Inner Joy.
The First “I” - Intent
Set an intent every time you step into class, watch a performance, or practice at home. It doesn’t always have to be about a big technical goal. It could be as simple as, “Today, I am going to maintain my smile throughout practice,” or “Today, I will pay more attention to my posture,” or even “This year, I am going to watch a few more performances.” When we know what we are setting out to do, our actions begin to feel less like a task and more like a choice. Even the smallest intent can change the way we approach our dance.
The Second “I” - Integrity
Once you set an intent, follow through with integrity; be sincere about the promises you make to yourself. Dance teaches us that practice is often about doing the little things right, even when no one is watching, even when there is no applause, and even when there is no immediate reward. Show up, practice, dress for class with care, repeat that movement one more time, not because someone is watching, but because you know why you are doing it.
The Third “I” - Inner Joy
And perhaps, when Intent and Integrity come together, something beautiful happens: Inner Joy. The joy of seeing yourself improve. The joy of moving with greater confidence. The joy of finally getting that step you struggled with. The joy of dancing simply because it makes you happy.
Dance is not only about how we look when we perform; it is also about how we feel while we learn.
Welcome back, and happy dancing!
Dharshana Eswaran
What dance has taught me this year
One of my favorite things about teaching is that no two students learn exactly the same way.
This year, I’ve found myself noticing the little things more. A student who finally gets the adavu they’ve been struggling with. Someone who used to be hesitant in class, now volunteering to demonstrate. A student quietly practicing a step again and again until it feels right. Another, who used to struggle to keep up, suddenly showing up with consecutive practice logs.
These moments may seem small, but as a teacher, they mean a lot. They remind me that progress in dance isn’t always about how much we learn or how quickly we move to the next level. Sometimes, it’s simply about becoming a little more confident, a little more disciplined, or a little more willing to try.
Every student in class has their own personality, learns at their own pace, and experiences their own journey, and watching that unfold is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching.
If there’s one thing I’d tell a new student joining us this year, it would be: don’t worry about being perfect. Come with curiosity, be willing to learn, and give yourself time. The rest will come.
Here’s to a year of watching all of you grow, one small moment at a time.
STUDENT CORNER
We are delighted to share a painting by our student Kirthana Warrier.
Description:
The Light of Bhakti
Acrylic on Canvas | 16 × 24 inches
I was inspired by VSDA’s Hanuman production, which brought his wisdom, humility and devotion to life through dance. Watching his story unfold through movement made me want to reinterpret those same qualities in paint, using light and composition to capture his quiet strength.
The painting shows Hanuman in a moment of surrender: hands folded, eyes closed, a halo of light around him. In the background, soft silhouettes of Rama and Sita represent the presence he dedicated his life to. Through light and shadow, I wanted the piece to say that real strength comes from humility and devotion, not power. True devotion does not need to be loud to be felt.
- Kirthana Warrier
COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE
VSDA & Yuva Bharati
“On May 16, 2026, Yuva Bharati celebrated twenty years of promoting Indian classical arts in the Bay Area with Vimsati Utsava, a milestone made possible, as it has been for two decades, through collaboration with the region’s dance schools. Among them, a few partnerships have meant as much to us as our years alongside Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy.
Shreelata Suresh has been one of our most steadfast champions since almost the beginning. Not simply lending her school’s name, but showing up, year after year, with genuine enthusiasm for what Yuva Bharati is trying to build. In 2017, that collaboration took the form of Infinite Facets, a thematic Bharatanatyam performance she choreographed with her dancers. Since then, VSDA’s senior students have graced our stages many times over, performing individual margams, joining new choreography for Kalpana and contributing their talent to Vimsati Utsava itself. Shreelata performed for us personally in 2009 and 2016 as part of our Gurus series and both she and VSDA were part of our 10th and 20th-anniversary celebrations, a rare kind of continuity we don’t take for granted.
Beyond the stage, VSDA’s students and families have volunteered their time and joined our fundraising efforts whenever asked, never treating the relationship as one-directional.
We are deeply grateful for Shreelata’s continued support and for a creative partnership we hope will continue for many years to come.”
Yuva Bharati (www.yuvabharati.org) is a non-profit organization formed to promote classical Indian dance in the US, specifically in the Bay Area.
With warm regards,
Team Yuva Bharati
FEATURE
ARANGETRAM REFLECTIONS
Every arangetram is its own story. Here are six of them.
Please note: The reflections have been edited and condensed for inclusion in our newsletter.
SUMMER AT VSDA
This summer, we conducted two types of practice opportunities: one in person for our more advanced students and one online, open to everyone.
Summer Refresher Sessions
As the academic year wound down, we offered three in-person Summer Refresher Sessions to help students hold onto their practice over the break. True to their name, these were refresher sessions only; nothing new was introduced, with each session split between an hour of adavus and an hour on select items, under a teacher's watchful eye. Open to students who have been with us for 3 years or more, the sessions gave our advanced dancers a chance to keep their technique sharp, get real-time corrections and stay connected to their training even during the summer months.
Let’s Practice Together: Online Sessions
Alongside the in-person refreshers, we hosted weekly “Let’s Practice Together” sessions online every Wednesday through June, open to students of every level. Unlike the refresher sessions, these were purely about showing up and dancing together: a teacher led each session and practiced right alongside the students, with no corrections given, just an hour of adavus followed by an hour of items, done as a group.
What made these sessions special was not correction; it was consistency and community. Students who could not always make it to a physical studio over the summer could still show up, keep their bodies moving and stay connected to their VSDA family, one Wednesday at a time.
PERFORMANCES
Sharing Bharatanatyam with the Community
Bay Area Thiruppugazh Isai Vazhipaadu | July 18, 2026
Our students presented a group Bharatanatyam performance at the Thiruppugazh Isai Vazhipaadu, a devotional music and dance festival dedicated to Lord Murugan, organized annually by the Bay Area Thiruppugazh Anbargal. The festival centers on soulful renditions of Thiruppugazh, the 14th-century anthology of Tamil devotional songs written by the poet-saint Arunagirinathar and gave our students a meaningful platform to bring Bharatanatyam into that devotional tradition.
Usha Balaraman, one of the festival’s organizers, had this to say afterward:
“You impressed everyone, including hardcore Chennai folks. Everyone danced with passion and did a great job. Am so proud of VSDA. Super happy with the song selections as well.“
It is one thing to hear praise from within our own community, it means something different coming from an audience as discerning as this one.
Celebrating Guru Purnima Through Dance
Guru Purnima honours the guru-shishya parampara, the enduring relationship between teacher and student and the passing down of knowledge, practice and tradition across generations. For our students, it is a chance to reflect on the guidance of their teachers and the learning that shapes their journey as dancers. This year, our students celebrated Guru Purnima through performances at two temples in the Bay Area.
Sri Sai Temple, Pleasanton | July 28, 2026
Aishani Meduri performed a solo, while Saanvi Gunadal and Anushka Ramesh presented a duet, as part of the Sri Sai Temple Guru Purnima Festival in Pleasanton, honouring the guru-shishya tradition through Bharatanatyam.
Naga Sai Temple, Santa Clara | August 1–2, 2026
Rakshaa Venkatraman, Uma Manthina and Dharshana Eswaran presented solo performances, all three having completed their own arangetrams, while Aiswarya Selvakumar, Vidya Vallabhaneni and Kinnera Chilakamarry presented group choreography, across the two-day Guru Purnima Cultural Celebrations at Naga Sai Temple.
FREE TRIAL CLASS
Looking for Bharatanatyam classes in the Bay Area?
Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy is now welcoming new students across all our branches. If you have been thinking about introducing your child to Indian classical dance, we would love to invite you for a FREE Trial Class.
Our classes are open to children and adults, from beginners to advanced learners, across Palo Alto, Milpitas, San Jose, San Mateo, San Ramon and Mountain House.
For more details, please email us at info@vishwashanthi.com or sign up using the link below and we will get in touch with you.
UPCOMING
Upcoming Events
Join us as our students take the stage to share their learning, dedication and love for Bharatanatyam.
Stay Connected with VSDA
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