Poornima Balan

🪔 About

Poornima Balan, also known as Poornima Balasubramanian, is a Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic singer, and the founder of NIMA (Natya Isai Mela Academy). She is based in New Jersey, United States, and has also been associated with Cross Creek, Tampa, Florida. Poornima holds a Master's degree in Dance from the University of Madras and a Bachelor's degree in Classical Music from Mother Theresa University, India. She also completed a diploma from the Rukmini Devi Natyakshetra Foundation, Chennai. Her Master's dissertation focused on a comparative study of "Tillanas" in Indian classical dance. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering and previously worked as a Software Engineer. Poornima Balan received her dance training from eminent gurus including Smt. Divyasena (Divyanjali School of Dance, Chennai), Smt. Shobana Bhalchandra (Tharanginee School of Dance, Chennai), Sri. Premnath (Rukminidevi Natyakshetra Foundation, Chennai), Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan (Ganesh Natyalaya, New Delhi), and Sri. Krishnamurthy (New Delhi). Her music gurus include Dr. Chitra Madhavan (Ganamrutha Music School, Chennai), Smt. Vasantha Krishnan (Delhi Tamil Sangam, New Delhi), and Smt. Jayalakshmi (New Delhi). As an instructor, Poornima teaches Bharatanatyam (Kalakshetra style) and Carnatic music with a syllabus-based approach, preparing students for performances and Arangetram. She utilizes modern learning technology, providing audio and video recordings for practice. NIMA offers both in-person and online classes, accepting students of all age groups, including adults. Poornima has performed in numerous music programs and dance festivals across various art centers and temples. Her performances in the U.S. include venues such as Sruthilaya - New York, Navatman Academy - New York, Ambika Raman Performing Arts Academy - New Jersey, New York Tamil Sangam - New York, and Farleigh Dickinson University - New Jersey, as well as several mini-concerts in the Tri-state area. In India, she has performed at the Historic Classical Music Ensemble "Naadha Vaibhavam" with 5700 singers under the Art of Living, R K Swamy Hall, Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple, and Sri Santhana Srinivasa Perumal temple.