Nritya School of Indian Dance and Music

Nritya, School of Indian Dance and Music, was founded in Kansas City in 1988 by Guru Hema Sharma at the request of community members who wanted classical Indian dance promoted locally, and was the first such school in that city. Hema Sharma began studying Bharathanatyam at age eight under Kancheepuram Gnaprakasam and holds the titles Natyaratna and Natyakalaratna, with some 35 years of teaching experience. The school now also takes students in the Greater Miami area. It teaches Bharathanatyam alongside Odissi, Indian folk dance and Carnatic music in both vocal and keyboard forms, with an emphasis on devoting time to the basics. Students range from children as young as four to adults learning for pleasure and to serious dancers pursuing a career. Classes run in person at Dance Empire in Miami and online, at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and include an adaptive Bharathanatyam class for students with special needs. Multi-day introductory Bharatanatyam workshops for age five and up run through the year, each ending with a performance, and private instruction is available.