Born in Chennai, Srinidhi Raghavan started learning Bharatanatyam at the tender age of five from her mother and guru--Smt. Usha Raghavan and guru--Smt. Malathy Thothadri.
Her experiences with dance have spanned several cultures and countries, including those of the UK, Switzerland, France, Italy Liechtenstein, Barbados, the US and of course India; such exposure has in turn added an eclectic element to her delivery which, when combined with her traditional style, results in a unique reflection of elegance and experience.
Through her four years at Columbia University in New York, Srinidhi pursued her interest in dance by participating in and leading the South Asian dance troupe at Columbia--Taal. As president of Taal Srinidhi successfully led intercollegiate dance showcase and fundraisers in New York involving universities from across the United
States; she also utilized her knowledge in various styles of dance to implement elements of folk, jazz and Kathak in contemporary choreographies during her years at Taal.
Additionally, Srinidhi also participated in several prestigious competitions in Washington D.C and California as a board member of Columbia's Bhangra team.
However, it was when her passion for dance took on a very rewarding form as she participated for four years in a row in the Columbia University Dance Marathon involving non-stop dancing for 28 hours and raising through that process funds for paediatric AIDS relief that Srinidhi realised how her fervour for dance could empower her with unbounded strength and determination to achieve greater results in life.
Her latest endeavour is the production of Her Story--a Bharatanatyam performance exploring a unique theme. In this performance, the dancers--Srinidhi Raghavan and Sahasra Sambamoorthi--portray the lives of four women in Indian mythology--Kaikeyi, Devaki, Kannagi, and Andal. Recounting pivotal moments in the lives of these women, the dancers explore how these characters transformed the worlds they lived in through their ability to love unconditionally. History has judged these protagonists--condemning, glorifying, questioning, and revering these women for their actions; however, in Her Story, the dancers reinterpret these conventional perceptions and portray these epic personalities as women willing to challenge the world for those they love. Usha Raghavan is the Artistic Director for Her Story while the musical score is set by Sudharshana Arunkumar. The credit for concept and choreography go to Srinidhi and Sahasra.
Her Story premiered in Manhattan on February 16, 2008, at the Peter Norton Symphony Space: Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater to a sold-out show and has since rolled out in several US cities including in Chicago where Srinidhi and Sahasra performed at the prestigious annual Tyagaraja Aradhana festival in 2009. Subsequently, Her Story was staged in Toronto, London, Manchester and Chennai in 2009.
After working for three years as Analyst at a top Investment Bank in New York, Srinidhi is currently at Wharton pursuing her MBA. Srinidhi hopes that as she strives towards greater excellence in her endeavours, her ardent love for Bharatanatyam and other forms of dance will endow her with a certain passion to break boundaries and widen her horizons not only in the performing arts but also in other avenues of life.
