Ariaki Dandawate

New Jersey

Ariaki Dandawate, born and brought up in New Jersey, has been studying Kathak under the discipleship of her guru Pandita Archana Joglekar for over 14 years. Having been exposed to the nuances, beauty, and prestigious lineage of Kathak by her guru from a young age, Aria has spent the past several years seriously pursuing every aspect of the art form. In 2014, Aria received her Visharad (Bachelors) degree from the SAMVED Exam Board, and in August of 2016 she presented her Rang Manch Pradarshan (solo performance). Her Visharad degree in Kathak has allowed her to study the essence of the Natya Shastra – a pillar of the arts – as well as become proficient in complex practical and theoretical applications of both Taal and Bhav Anga. Aria has given solo performances at prestigious festivals such as Guru Wandana in Mumbai, Sanskriti Mahotsav by Dr. Sandhya Purecha in Mumbai, the Multicultural Arts Center in Boston, Geeva Arts in Kentucky, Sadhana/Tarana by Bageshree Vaze in Toronto, Kussum Mahotsav in NJ, and Sangeet Mahotsav NY, to name a few. She has been invited to give lectures on Kathak on several occasions, including a unit on abhinaya in Kathak at the Ohio State University.

 Aria is a faculty member at Archana Arts, primarily training Diploma and Bachelors students at the academy and she has recently taken the responsibility of choreography and rehearsal direction at Archana Arts. Ariaki is a seasoned examiner under the SAMVED Exam board within NJ and Texas, Maryland, and Boston. Apart from her rigorous training in Kathak, Ariaki works as an Associate Computational Biologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.