Swati Raut

🪔 About

Dr. Swati Raut is an established Bharatanatyam dance artist, choreographer, teacher, and educator based in the Northwest region of England. Her dance training in Bharatanatyam (Pandanallur Style) took place at 'Nrityashree' in Mumbai, under the tutelage of Guru Krishnan Kutty, who himself trained under Lakshmi Kantham of Tanjore of the Pichhaiya Pillai school. Following her Arangetram in 1979, she continued her Bharatanatyam training and also learned Mohiniattam from Smt. Ammu Kutty. Dr. Raut performed extensively in India throughout the 1980s, both as a solo artist and in dance drama productions by Nrityashree. She moved to the UK in 1987 to pursue a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. However, her passion for dance led her to begin teaching community groups in the Northwest region. In 2005, she founded the Northwest Dance Alliance, a group that now exists informally. Dr. Raut is the founder and artistic director of Swati Dance Company (SDC), a South Asian Dance Company dedicated to the creation and propagation of Bharatanatyam. Through SDC, she provides training in Bharatanatyam, mentors students for professional performances, and prepares them for ISTD exams and Arangetram. She teaches Bharatanatyam to over 150 young children in various locations including Wigan, Bolton, Preston, and Liverpool. Additionally, she serves as the Principal Teacher at Milapfest Arts School. As a performing artist, Dr. Raut regularly performs traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire at prestigious venues such as the Nehru Centre in London, The Lowry in Salford Quays, Unity Theatre in Liverpool, and Heron Theatre in Cumbria. Her performance credits include successful dance productions like “Devi Diva” and “Shivoham,” and she choreographed “Symphony of Movement.” Dr. Raut is also actively involved in the wider dance community, sitting on the board of Dance Manchester and serving as a Faculty Committee Member of the ISTD for Classical Indian Dance.