About Vidyanjali

Vidyanjali was formed to share knowledge of and train young dancers in the art of Bharatanatyam as taught by Guru Sudha Chandra Sekhar and the Gurus of Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kalamandir. Students ages 5+ can learn the 108 basic building blocks of Bharatanatyam, called 'Adavus' followed by a traditional repertoire of items from the Thanjavur tradition.

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Director Anandini Chandra Sekhar has been trained in the dance art since the age of 2. She underwent intensive teacher training beginning in 1999 in Michigan, and went on to teach students in Chicago, New York and now the Boston area.

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With centers in Newton and Burlington, Massachusetts, Vidyanjali offers beginner, intermediate and advanced study of Bharatanatyam. Students also have the opportunity to learn about various other classical dance and folk dance styles of India.

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While the focus is on learning, the Vidyanjali Dancers of New England do often perform in the Greater Boston area for festivals and outreach programs. In 2019, the group was invited to present the very first Dance Saturdays performance for the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge, introducing the ballet and modern dance audiences to Classical Indian dance and all its various aspects.

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Vidyanjali is a branch of Nritya Sudha's Hindu Temple Rhythms, established in 1958 to promote Indian Classical arts in North America. Hindu Temple Rhythms has conducted 119 Bharatanatyam Arangetrams (dance debut recitals) and has centers in Washington State, Florida, Washington D.C. and North Carolina in addition to Massachusetts.