Ranjanaa Devi

🪔 About

Ranjanaa Devi is an Indian classical dance artist and the artistic director of Nataraj Performing Arts of India, specializing in classical and folk dance styles of India. She received extensive training from several esteemed gurus, including Kathakali master Guru Gopinath, from whom she learned choreographic and dance theater techniques. She also studied Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, and various folk styles under Guru Valmiki Bannerjee. Her Odissi training was under Gurus Mayadhar Rout and Deb Prasad Das. Ranjanaa Devi holds graduate degrees in Indian music and musicology from Delhi University, India. Her academic pursuits also include studying temple rituals and texts with Pandit Uniyal and a Tantric scholar at the Krishnattam temple in Kerala. Since 1982, she has further expanded her knowledge by studying Tibetan Buddhist texts. Ranjanaa Devi is credited with bringing Indian Dance to the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts in 1982, where she subsequently founded Nataraj Performing Arts of India as a non-profit studio dedicated to dance education. She also serves as an Indian dance teacher at Mount Holyoke College. Her contributions to traditional arts were recognized when she was named a finalist by the Mass Cultural Council in 2008. Awards & Honours: Finalist, Traditional Arts (2008).