Sowmya has been a Bharatanatyam student of Menaka Thakkar of Toronto since 1981. She has studied abhinaya with Guru Kalanidhi Narayan, as well as master classes with the late Guru Kittappa Pillai, and at the Dhananjayans’ Bharata Kalanjali Academy in Chennai, India. She danced her arangetram in 1985 and her advanced level Nrityarchana in 1990.She has been a member of Manohar Performing Arts since its inception in 1991.Sowmya has made a special study of the challenging male role in dance, including the roles of Ashoka in The Conquest, The Man in Yatra/Journey, High Priest in La Bayadère – The Temple Dancer and Sakuni in The Game. She also danced as an Elemental Spirit in Alchemyth. Sowmya celebrated twenty years in performance with Continuum in May 2005. Impeccable rhythm, broad lines and fast footwork are Sowmya’s forte, and she is particularly involved in music selection and editing for Manohar productions.

Photograph by
Dan Kern