Shobana Bhalchandra

🪔 About

Shobana Bhalchandra is a highly accomplished and professional Bharatanatyam artiste, instructor, and senior guru, recognized as one of the well-established figures in the field today. The youngest of the renowned Trio Sisters of Chennai, she began her dance journey at the age of seven. She received rigorous training in the widely practiced Kalakshetra style as one of the first and senior-most disciples of the esteemed dance duo, 'The Dhananjayans'. Complementing this, Shobana Bhalchandra underwent extensive training in Abhinaya (expressions) under Padmabhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan. Her dedication to the art form also led her to pursue formal training in Classical Music and Nattuvangam to professional standards. Shobana Bhalchandra had her Arangetram with her sisters as early as 1978, by which time she had already participated in over 100 stage performances. She performed extensively in major productions of her gurus and, along with her sisters, was a regular feature in major festivals during the late 1970s and 1980s. Driven by an urge to create her own artistic space, she later embarked on a successful solo performing career. As a panelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and an 'A' grade artist of Doordarshan, she has performed widely across India and internationally in countries including Russia, UK, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, USA, South America, Iraq, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria. Her teaching career commenced in the early 1980s at her alma mater, Bharatha Kalanjali. In 1988, she founded her own dance institution, "Tharanginee" (also known as "Thrayee"), which operates out of Chennai and Coimbatore in South India and has trained over 100 students. Many of her senior disciples have performed their Arangetrams, won awards, and now serve as faculty or run their own schools globally. Shobana Bhalchandra also conducts international workshops in countries like the USA, UK, Germany, and South Africa, and utilizes online video classes to reach her students abroad. She is also an accomplished choreographer, having created numerous thematic presentations such as "Meera," "Pancha naayikaa," and her recent production "Aham Pravahini." Since 2021, she has served as the Creative Executive Director of Bharata Kalanjali. Awards & Honours: A Top grade award, VRINDARANI AWARD (2023), Award for propagating 'Swati Tirunal's Works' (2023), Acharya Rathnakara (2020), NATANA RASA MA MANI (2024).