Shoba Narayan, nee Parvathi Dandapani, is one of the most senior disciples of Guru Rajee, settled in Strongsville, Cleveland, U.S.A. She started her training in Bharatanatyam at the tender age of 4 and performed her Arangetram in 1973, at the age of 9. Her first stage performance was at 6 years, when she played the Krishna role in ‘Yaarumilla Veetil’, a dance drama by Guru Rajee for Andhra Mahasabha, Mumbai.
Shoba has performed extensively all over India, the Gulf and in the U.S. For the past 15 years, she has been teaching Bharatanatyam in the U.S. and has taught over 50 students in Cleveland itself. Over a dozen of her students have successfully completed their Arangetram. She conducts dance classes at her residence in Strongsville and also at the Lakeland Community College for East Cleveland residents.
On March 25, 2006, Nritya Geethanjali - Cleveland presented 'Krishnaarpanam' - a report
Some of Shoba’s performances are listed below :
- Solo performance at Asthika Samaj, Mumbai, March 1973
- Danced at the Roussel Inauguration, Mumbai, December 1973
- Maha Ganeshotsav, Chembur, Mumbai, August 1974
- Series of solo performances in Jabalpur, June 1975
- Solo at Bhajana Samaj, December 1975
- Best Dancer of the Year Award, Nartak Milan, June 1977
- Received scholarship and danced for Bhulabhai Memorial Institute, December 1977
- Group performance at Shanmukhananda Hall for Subramanya Samaj, December 1978
- Danced at the Consulate of USSR, January 1980
- Solo performance for Fine Arts Society, Chembur, March 1980
- For Melody Makers, June 1980
- Series of performances at Chennai, July 1980
- Received the first prize at the dance competition organised by Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Ghatkopar, August 1980
- Solo performance for Music Triangle, Santa Cruz, June 1982
- At the Inauguration of Aries, January 1983
- Performed solo on stage and on TV in Muscat and Oman, April 1983
- Shoba moved to the US after her marriage in 1985
- Performed at Geetha Mandalam, Chicago, June 1985
- At Cleveland State University, December 1985
- At Bharati Cultural Society, Cleveland
- At Kent State University, Ohio
- Lec-dem at Ohio State Festival
- At the University of North Carolina
- At Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
- At the inauguration of the Hindu temple at Youngstown
- Held Annual Day programmes of Nritya Geethanjali students, starting with Parijatam and Valli Malai Kuravanji
- Performed 11 arangetrams of students in Cleveland, the first one with live orchestra in 1988
- At the Kannada Society of Chicago
- At the Lemont Temple, Chicago
- At the Michigan Tamil Sangam
- Lec-dem at the Lakeland College
- Presentation of Nritya Geeta Mala songs with Anupama Rajesh in Chicago, 2001
Shoba Narayan
shoba_dance@yahoo.com
