Sweta Ravisankar is a Bharatanatyam performing artist, teacher, and choreographer. She has been dancing for nearly three decades, andholds a Masters in Bharatanatyam, MFA, and is the artistic director of Sarada Kala Nilayam (SKN), where she teaches Bharathanatyam and Nattuvangam. Sweta also trains beginner youth and adult dancers who are now growing into serious cultural arts practitioners.
Bio
Sweta Ravisankar is a Bharatanatyam performing artist, teacher, and choreographer with over three decades of deep immersion in this classical dance form. She holds a Master’s degree in Bharatanatyam and an MFA and is the artistic director of Sarada Kala Nilayam (SKN), with studios in Beaverton, OR, and the Bay Area, CA. Through SKN, she rigorously trains youth and adult dancers with a blend of discipline, care, and creativity, nurturing the next generation of serious cultural artists.Sweta has performed extensively across India and the United States, solo and in collaboration with other dance companies. Her onstage work is celebrated for a demanding rhythmic precision and physical intensity that remain true to the subtlety and depth of Bharatanatyam tradition. Her choreography often explores contemporary themes such as identity, community, and the body, skillfully weaving them into the classical margam structure without compromising its integrity.
She has been honored with prestigious support, including the Government of India’s Senior Scholarship and several artistic grants from Oregon’s Regional Arts and Culture Council, Hillsboro Arts and Culture Council, Oregon Arts Commission, and the Oregon Folklife Network’s TAAP grant as a master artist. Sweta’s students have also received recognition and support from bodies like the California Arts Council.She has had the fortune of being blessed by stalwarts of Indian classical music and dance, including Smt. K. J. Sarasa, Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman, and Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, as well as spiritual leaders such as Swami Tejomayananda of Chinmaya Mission. Sweta continues her own rigorous practice under the mentorship of renowned gurus, including Smt. Roja Kannan (Kalakshetra tradition), Smt. Padmini Radhakrishnan (Dandayudapani Pillai tradition), and Sri S. Ravisankar.
Beyond performing and teaching, Sweta is a vibrant community-builder. She mentors emerging artists, fosters cross-disciplinary collaborations, and creates platforms that spotlight fellow performers and culture bearers. Her innovative approach to presentation and context broadens Bharatanatyam’s reach, inviting diverse audiences to experience its complexity, joy, and transformative power. Sweta firmly believes that dance is a powerful mode of communication. Her socially conscious and emotive works have addressed themes such as mental health, pandemic community resilience, and the joy and rhythm of dance, performed at festivals and cultural engagements across the West Coast.
