Calai Chandra

🪔 About

Calai Chandrasekaram, known as Calai Chandra, is a prominent Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher, and researcher. Her initial training in Bharatanatyam began at the age of five under Guru Erambu Suppaia Master. She is a disciple of the renowned Guru Hema Rajagopalan of Chicago and furthered her studies in Natya Sastram and Karanas with the eminent scholar Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam of Chennai. Through these artistic lineages, she has inherited the priceless pedagogy and evergreen dance compositions of the grand legends Guru K.N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai and Guru Ramaiah Pillai. Calai Chandra is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Calai Chandra School of Bharathanatyam, a 501(c)3 non-profit dance theatre based in Jersey City, New Jersey. The school has been celebrating its 10th anniversary, indicating over a decade of operation. She is recognized as a prominent dance teacher and an admired performer in the New Jersey and New York City circles. Her performances extend to major dance festivals in Chennai, Bangalore, and Trivandrum in India, as well as temple cities like Chidambaram, Thanjavur, and Kumbakonam. Internationally, she has performed in London, Toronto, Chicago, New York City, and across America. She also served as a Resident-Artiste at Magnet Schools of Chicago. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Calai Chandra is a graduate student at Harvard University, pursuing a Master's in Education with a concentration in Arts and Learning, where she conducts groundbreaking research on Art & AI, with her findings published in a leading Computer Science Journal (ACM). She has conceived a unique practice-based-research pedagogy called "Teaching Math-via-Dance." Calai Chandra actively mentors Bharatanatyam dance teachers in rural areas, presides over Arangetrams as Chief Guest, judges numerous dance competitions, and is a speaker at Tamil Cultural Conferences and a valued critic. Awards & Honours: Honor by Mayor of Madurai at World Tamil Sangam (2022), Proclamation by Mayor of Jersey City, Illinois Arts Council Apprenticeship award, Natya Ratna, Natya Maitreyi.