Tara Priyadarshini Bikkasani

🪔 About

Tara Priyadarshini Bikkasani is a professional Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher, and choreographer, recognized for her extensive contributions to Indian classical dance. She received her foundational training in Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Nritya Choodamani Smt. Krishnaveni Lakshmanan of Kalakshetra, Chennai. Her education also included studies with Prof. M. R. Krishnamurthy, Smt. Uma Sundaram, and Smt. Uma Rao, all from Kalakshetra, Chennai, India. Bikkasani further honed her skills in Abhinaya under the guidance of Padmashri Dr. Nataraja Ramakrishna of Hyderabad and learned Adhyatma Ramayana abhinayam from Smt. Saride Manikyamma, a renowned exponent of the Temple Dance form from Hyderabad. Throughout her career, Tara Priyadarshini Bikkasani has performed extensively across India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and various Southeast Asian countries, garnering significant media attention and appreciation from art connoisseurs. She was recognized as one of India's finest dancers and has toured colleges and performing arts venues in America. Her choreographic works include several dance dramas such as Ramayana, Krishnam Vande Jagathguru, Dhasavatharam, Draupadi, and Nrithya-Milana, which amalgamates various Indian classical forms. Bikkasani has also shared her knowledge as an educator, teaching at the University of Florida in Gainesville for several semesters and conducting workshops, lectures, and demonstrations at other universities, including Purdue. Academically, she holds a Post Graduate degree in Industrial Psychology from Bangalore University and has authored several papers on dance that have been published in international journals. She founded the dance studio "Tanmayee" and currently leads the "Rudram Dance Company" in Tampa, Florida, where she continues to teach and train students, many of whom have had their Arangetrams.