Nandini Mandal

Founder & Artistic Director

Nandini Mandal is a renowned dancer and Guru of Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form. She started learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of her teacher, Guru Snigdha Pal. She specialized in this dance form under Guru Thankamani Kutti, Guru Kalamandalam Venkitt, the late Guru Uma Venkitt, and Guru Preetha Venktt of the Kolkata Kalamandalam, India. She specialized in Abhinaya or expressions under the legendary Guru Sonal Mansingh. As a member of the Dancer's Guild, she underwent training in Nava Nritya, a contemporary dance form, under the late Manjushree Chaki Sircar. She also learnt Manipuri, another classical dance from Guru Snigdha Pal and Sanjib Bhattacharya. She underwent special training at Mamata Shankar’s School of Ballet, Kolkata.

She has choreographed and performed at various cultural festivals in India and at different locations in the US. She is constantly expanding her creativity by collaborating with local artistes and performing in schools, colleges and at other public forums. Through the Nandanik Dance Troupe she has choreographed and directed dance dramas including Chitrangada - In Quest of Truth, Shyama - The Royal Courtesan, Raja - King of the Dark Chamber, Card Country and most recently Prakriti - Matrika Mrittika.

She is constantly expanding her creativity by collaborating with local artistes like Mary Miller, of Miller Dance, InterPlay and Africa Yetu, and with international dancers. She is the cultural ambassador of India with the World Affairs Council, UNO, Pittsburgh chapter. Her philanthropic activities include fundraising for Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia Lymphoma Foundation. With her students she has performed at the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta, Pittsburgh Folk Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, in a special presentation for India's past President Abdul Kalam, and at many schools in lecture demonstrations including the YMCA, Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind and Carnegie Mellon University.

Besides dance and music, Nandini enjoys writing and reading poetry and short stories, and acting in plays. A survivor of Aplastic Anemia and Leukemia, she has undergone bilateral hip replacement surgery and a stem cell transplant. Nandini has dedicated herself completely to the promotion of Indian dance and music in the USA.