Leela Rammohan Rao

🪔 About

Leela Rammohan Rao was introduced to Bharatanatyam at the age of five in Bangalore, India. She later moved to Madras (now Chennai), where she received extensive training from several legendary masters. Her gurus included Padmasri Natyakala Kesari Late Sri Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, Kalaimamani Sri Kunjidapadam Pillai from the Kathumannar Muthukumara Pillai school, and Kalaimamani Mrs. K. J. Sarasa, a disciple of Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai. She further honed her skills in Abhinaya under Padmabhushan Mrs. Kalanidhi Narayanan and Mrs. Anuradha Jaganathan. Leela also received stringent training in Carnatic music from her mother, Mrs. Sarojini Sundaresan, specializing in the laya-rich Alathur style, and in Konnakol from the notable Mridangam artist Late Sri M.N. Kanadaswamy, which fortified her rhythmic aspects of Bharatanatyam. Leela Rammohan Rao is appreciated by critics and art-lovers for her expressive talents and precise, musical rendering of Sollukattus. She has performed in numerous leading dance festivals in Chennai, India, including Mylapore Fine Arts, Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, and Suswara. Her concerts have been inaugural programs on several occasions and telecast on television networks in India, the UK, and the USA. She is also a prolific choreographer, creating her own works for rare and popular compositions, and has choreographed intricate pieces by Mrs. Sarojini Sundaresan. As a dedicated teacher, Leela trains students of various nationalities in the traditional dance form, combining her musical capabilities to provide comprehensive training. Her students have achieved accolades in competitions and emerge as able performers, qualified teachers, and choreographers. She is regarded as the Founder and Director of RaagaLaya Foundation USA, a center dedicated to Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam in Florida, where she currently resides. Beyond dance, Leela is also an accomplished painter and the President of GoodWin Asset Management Inc., a Florida-based investment management firm.