She commenced her dance and music education at the age of 4 under the tutelage of Smt. Bindu Shah of Kanta Kala Shikshan Kendra of Mumbai, India; who is a disciple of late Guru Shree Saunder Rajan Pillai. She double graduated in Bharatanatyam from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Maha Vidhyalaya and the Bharatiya Sangeet Samiti. Throughout the journey of 17 years of training; she learned various Indian dance styles from renowned and experienced teachers including Shree Bhushan Laakhaandri, Shree Deepak Mazumdaar and so on. She performed in Australia, New Zealand, United States, London, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Dubai and many parts of India as a professional dancer for 5 years with Bollywood actress Padma Bhushan Smt. She holds Masters of Science in E-Commerce Technology and has worked as a website developer. She founded Nrityangana Dance School in Milwaukee, WI and then after relocating to Edmond, OK, Nritya Arpan Dance School in 2010 where students undergo a systematic syllabus of Bharatanatyam followed by annual tests. Students also learn and perform Indian traditional folk dances and Bollywood. Apart from being innovative choreographer and performer, she is also a recipient of the Global Citizen Award in Arts given by the World Experiences Foundation. She has received recognition from the state of Oklahoma. She also had a featured article for her community involvement through her dance school in the Daily Oklahoman in 2016. Recently, she has been awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award & Gold Medal given by the White House for her service providing the finest dance instruction to students and her volunteer work promoting multiculturalism in Oklahoma schools and communities through arts. For the past 4 years, Nish*ta is also invited as a judge to an Intercollegiate Dance Competition at Oklahoma University. Recently, she was awarded in entertainment and culture category by Teachers Appreciation Foundation. Her students have won prizes at various dance competitions including Asian Festivals, Natya Kalakar and Festivals Got Talent. Some of the recent dance performances include at the Oklahoma State Capitol, Scissortail Park, Myriad Botanical Gardens, Festival of the Arts, India Food and Arts Festival, Downtown Edmond Arts Festival, Kids Fest by Metro Family Magazine, OSSM International Students Night, Rhythm of the World, Art Around the World, Turkish Fest, Vietnames Fest, etc... Nritya Arpan Dance School takes pride in imparting a sacred art of Bharatnatyam in expressing the purity of the Nalanda Style of International fame. Bharatnatyam being the oldest and purest form of Indian classical dance is a combination of music, expression and rhythm. It is usually accompanied by classical Karnataka music, from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. Its inspirations come from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram. Bharatnatyam, it is said, is the embodiment of music in visual form, a ceremony, and an act of devotion (bhakti). Indian folk dances are simple dances, and are performed to express joy. Folk and tribal dances are performed for every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, a wedding and festivals. The skill and the imagination of the dances influence the performance.
