Nitya
Narasimhan
Bharatanatyam · Sunnyvale, California
"My dance is an extension of who I am. Each lesson that life offers, every experience that touches me — shapes and enriches my art."
Nitya Narasimhan is a professional Bharatanatyam dancer whose passion for dance began at the young age of four. Currently based in Sunnyvale, California, she regularly travels to India to hone her craft and present performances and workshops.
As the Founder and Artistic Director of Prayukti Arts, Nitya has built a platform dedicated to fostering South Asian art education and appreciation in the Bay Area. Under Nitya's able leadership, Prayukti Arts has established itself not only as a distinguished space for Indian Arts in the Bay Area, but across the US and as far as India.
Her exposure to diverse movement forms and her unwavering commitment to the classical tradition have shaped an artistic voice that is both deeply rooted and continually evolving. She firmly believes in upholding the traditional values of Bharatanatyam, while acknowledging its rich present and being open to its evolving future.
Awards &
Achievements
Performances
Selected Solo — United States
- Yuva Bharati, Bay Area — multiple years
- IDIA Dance Festival, Bay Area
- Harmony Live Music & Dance Festival, Chicago
- HHII Dance Festival, Santa Barbara
- Varnam Salon, NYC
- We R Dancing, NYC
- Natya Utsav, Seattle
- San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Selected Solo — India
- Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai
- Brahma Gana Sabha, Chennai
- Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai
- Kartik Fine Arts / KFA 43rd Art Festival, Chennai
- Hamsadhwani, Chennai
- Kartik Fine Arts Festival, Naradha Gana Sabha Mini Hall, Chennai
- Ananya Nrityotsava, Bengaluru
- Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru
- Diaspora Dance Festival, Chennai
- Mysore Articulate Festival, Mysore
- Kolar Dance Festival, Kolar
- All India Arts & Crafts Festival, Shilparamam, Hyderabad
- Natyanjali, Chidambaram & Thanjavur
- India Habitat Center, Delhi
- LAVA Durga Pooja, Delhi
- National Institute of Technology, Trichirapalli
Notable Ensemble Work
Other Collaborative Works
Nitya has also collaborated independently with fellow artists and collectives — including duets Samyu and Anma with Kassiyet Adilkhankyzy, exploring how dance transcends individual identity; Ganga to Kaveri curated by Utsav Music, in which she took on the role of Narmada; and The Caged Birds Sing with Samudra Dance Creations, premiered at the San Francisco Dance Festival.
Solo Productions
Works on Students
Ensemble &
Group Productions
Prayukti Collective
Teaching &
Philosophy
Nitya's approach to teaching starts with meeting each student where they are — while holding the rigor, the tradition, and the art form in full respect. The goal is not uniformity but attentiveness: understanding what each student needs and finding the path that leads them there.
At the heart of her teaching is the belief that dance carries an inherent joy — and that her role is to cultivate and share that joy, not just transmit technique. Classes go beyond the physical to explore the cultural depth, historical evolution, and contemporary relevance of Bharatanatyam as a living tradition.
For younger students especially, the studio becomes a space for grounding, focus, and values that reach far beyond the stage — qualities that formal education rarely makes room for. Bharatanatyam, she believes, has always been as much about how you inhabit the world as it is about how you move through it.
Bharatanatyam for all levels, ages 5 and above · since 2017
Invited
Talks
Nitya presents "The Essence of Indian Arts" — a lecture demonstration that takes audiences deep into the philosophy, history, and embodied practice of Bharatanatyam, Indian Music, and the intersection of dance with yoga. It has been presented at some of the most distinguished academic and cultural institutions in the Bay Area.
Community
Outreach
At the heart of Prayukti Arts is a vision to build a living, breathing community around the arts. Nitya spearheads multiple opportunities throughout the year for the public to engage with each other and with diverse art forms — most events are free or carry a nominal fee. From movie nights and book readings to cultural celebrations like Garba, Yoga Day, and studio showcases, Prayukti creates spaces where art and community meet naturally.
