Manjula Narasimhan

🪔 About

Manjula Lusti Narasimhan is a highly regarded Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Despite living in Switzerland since the age of five, she developed a profound interest in Bharatanatyam, commencing her training at the tender age of four. She received her initial training from eminent gurus such as the late Smt. Swarna Saraswati and the late Sri Kuttalam Ganesam Pillai. Her Arangetram took place in September 1976 at the Bharitya Vidya Bhavan in Chennai. Since 1981, she has been under the tutelage of Padmasri Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy and is a senior dancer at Sree Bharathalaya. In 1992, Manjula Narasimhan founded her own dance school, Silambam, in Geneva, Switzerland, which operates as a confederation of Sree Bharathalaya. Her career, spanning over two decades, includes more than four hundred recitals, lecture demonstrations, and workshops across India, Switzerland, Bahrain, the UK, France, Germany, Austria, former Czechoslovakia, former Yugoslavia, and the United States. She is a regular participant at the prestigious Music and Dance Festival in Chennai. Narasimhan is known for her classicist approach to Bharatanatyam while also engaging in collaborative projects with artists from other disciplines. Uniquely, she dedicates all earnings from her dance career to charity, supporting various non-governmental organizations. Beyond her dance career, Manjula Narasimhan holds a B.Sc. in Physics from Bryn Mawr College, U.S.A., and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of York, U.K. She has also trained in Martha Graham style modern dance, Carnatic vocal music, comparative religion, and Indian philosophy. She serves as a scientific director in a biotechnology company in Geneva and authored a book titled "Bharatanatyam" in 2002. Awards & Honours: Bharata Kala Bhushana (1995), Yuva Kala Bharathi (1997), Nadana Mamani (1999), Kalaimamani (1999).