Swathi Jaisankar

🪔 About

Swathi Jaisankar is an accomplished Bharatanatyam artist based in Boston, Massachusetts, known for her captivating performances and innovative choreographies. Born in Chennai, India, she moved to New Jersey at the age of two. Her journey in dance began at age four with tap, ballet, and jazz, before she was introduced to Bharatanatyam at seven. By age nine, she had dedicated her focus entirely to this classical Indian dance form, recognizing it as a profound connection to her Indian heritage. Jaisankar trained extensively for 15 years under the tutelage of Smt. Suba Parmar, completing her arangetram in 2014. She has also received guidance from Sri. Swamimalai Suresh and, more recently, Smt. Aishwarya Balasubramanian. Her talent has been recognized with numerous accolades, including being a National YoungArts Winner in 2016 (also cited as 2017) and a Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Finalist in 2015. She also secured first place for Classical Indian Dance at the Baltimore Competition and earned the title of “New Jersey Naatya Shiromani” at the Krishna Vrundavana Temple Competition. Her career highlights include performances at several prestigious international venues. She was invited to perform at the World Government Summit in Dubai, where she opened for the Prime Minister of India's keynote speech. Jaisankar has also graced the stage at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, inaugurating International Yoga Day in the General Assembly on June 20, 2019. Other notable performances include those at the Indian High Commission in London, the Jacob’s Pillow Festival in Massachusetts (August 3, 2018), and the Erasing Borders Festival in Manhattan. She frequently presents solo margams during the Chennai Margazhi Season, including for Brahma Gana Sabha, Narada Gana Sabha, and the Madras Music Academy’s Spirit of Youth Festival in 2023. In 2023, a spontaneous Bharatanatyam performance by her outside the Washington Monument went viral. Beyond performing, Swathi Jaisankar has made significant contributions as the Creative Director for IndianRaga, an organization through which she has choreographed and performed in over 20 major dance productions. She was one of IndianRaga's first dance Fellows in 2016 and became Creative Director for the Dance Fellowship in 2017. Her work with IndianRaga includes innovative pieces like "Shiva Shambho," which garnered 6.4 million views on YouTube by June 2019, and "Revelations: Celebrating LGBTQ Stories through Bharatnatyam," which explores social themes through classical dance. She pursued a degree in Computer Engineering at Boston University and, as of October 2023, works as a Product Analyst at Putnam Investments in Boston, while continuing her passion for dance. Awards & Honours: National YoungArts Winner (2016), Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Finalist (2015), First place for Classical Indian Dance, New Jersey Naatya Shiromani.