Janaki Rangarajan

Janaki Rangarajan is also known as Dr Janaki Rangarajan. She is a Classical & Bharatnatyam dancer, teacher, choreographer, and humanist. She hails from Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. Janaki Rangarajan has been passionate about communicating through dance since she was four. She began learning lessons in Bharatnatyam under Guru Smt. Madhavi Chandrasekhar in Thiruchirapalli (Trichy), India. When she turned seven, her family shifted to Chennai. There she was put under the tutelage of dancer Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam at Nrithyodaya, from whom she took training for the next seventeen years. Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam promoted her to Nrithyodaya’s faculty when she was just fifteen. Also, she went on to pursue teaching for the next eight years. She was the youngest student of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam to be featured in the television series on the Natyasastra that was aired on Doordarshan, India’s national channel. Also, she has performed in many solo and group programs all around India and Thailand. She has performed in the lead roles with Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam in many dance dramas, including Sri Gurave Namaha, Paavai Nonbu, Meenakshi Kalyanam Meenakshi Kalyanam is a Malayalam television seria >> Read More... , and Vande Mataram.

Janaki also took a doctorate in molecular genetics from the United States and eventually settled in Virginia with her daughter, Vaidehi, and husband, Aneal. She even worked for a while, but her job did not fulfill her desires and joy. Then, Jankai switched to Bharatnatyam as a full time with passion and dedication. In addition to her teaching in Bharatnatyam, she was also a member of the Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA), where she held the secretary’s office for a term. She has been the chairperson of the young Upcoming Artists Forum. Also, she has been the co-founder of a not-for-profit organization named Kalashraya. The organization is dedicated to the protection and promotion of Indian classical arts.

She has had the privilege of interacting with exceptional Bharatnatyam choreographers, teachers, and senior artists throughout her journey. Janaki Rangarajan’s distinct dance style results from her undying self-motivation, passion, and dedication for Bharatnatyam. She has earned accolades for her creative approach to Bharatnatyam from dance enthusiasts worldwide. She was honored with the prestigious “Nadanamamani – Sriram Award of Excellence” by Kartik Fine Arts and the “Yaganaraman Award of Excellence” by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. She also received the “Vasanthalakshmi – Narasimhachari Award” by Narada Gana sabha, “Rohini Krishnan Endowment Prize” (Guru KJ Sarasa Memorial Award) by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, “Satya Nrithya Sundaram” award by Bharatanjali Trust, “Nritya Shiromani” award by Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangh, “NCA Excellence Award” by Nungambakkam Cultural Academy Trust, and many more.