Aditya Sharma

Aditya discovered his love for stage and dance in school while participating in numerous skits and dance performances. He was an active member of profession theatre group Kala Samooh and with them appeared in “Mrignayni” ,”Surya Putra” and “Police Walon ki Ramlela”. After a long break Pratidhwani provides a chance to him to be back on stage with “Yum Ne Bana Di Jodi”.

Agastya Kohli

Agastya has been the lead for Pratidhwani’s Drama Wing since 2005, and in these last four years he has written, directed and produced a number of productions under the Pratidhwani banner in both Hindi and English - most recently Ek Tha Gadha Urf Aladad Khan. As an actor Agastya was last seen on stage in Spam-O-Rama (Pork Filled Players), The Battle of the Bards (Ghostlight Theatricals) and Love Person (Live Girls Theater). He has also worked with ReAct, SIS Productions, Theatre Schmeater, Driftwood Players and other local companies. Thank you for your support to Pratidhwani and local performing arts.

Amy Rambhia

Amy has been involved in dance stage shows and competitions from a very young age. She is a trained Bharat Natyam dancer and enjoys doing all types of folk and bolly mix dances. After a hiatus in dancing for several years, she now returns to the stage with YNBDJ. By profession, she is a program manager at Microsoft.

Anita Iyer

Anita is a trained classical (Bharatanatyam) dancer. She gave her first stage performance (Arrangethram) at the age of 10. Ever since, she has given numerous stage shows and won many accolades. Her notable performances & accomplishments include - Solo Dance show at Iskon temple in Mumbai, Dance drama (Dashaavatar) in Mumbai and 2nd prize at All India Dance Competition. Thanks to Pratidhwani, she is getting to pursue her passion in Seattle.

Ankur Gupta

Ankur first appeared on stage as Mangal Pandey during his primary school days. Ever since, he has always been an active participant in debating, dramatics or anything that involves stage, be it High school or his stay at IITD. Thanks to Pratidhwani, the journey coninued in Seattle, with his appearances in Sangharsh ki Oar (Lakshman), Aath Ghante (BrijBhushan Verma), Everyone Loves a Good Tsunami (Astt. Stage manager), Gaare Ki Deevar (Sanjeev), Jab We Dance (Arjun) and Ek Tha Gadha (Devillal). He was also seen as Mohan in Dreams' Desi Girl, and has MC'd Shruti's Ina Mina Dika and Pratidhwani's Colors of India.

Antara Dutta

Antara Datta started learning Kathak at the age of five. Since 2002 she is specializing in Lucknow gharana style (Pandit Birju Maharaji’s style) of Kathak. Antara has given solo Kathak performances in India and USA. Antara is very excited to be a part of the Gunjan team and try other classical styles like Bharatnatyam ,Folk and Bollywood dance.

Anu Garg

Anu Garg is an author and speaker, and the founder of Wordsmith.org, a community of wordlovers in 200 countries. He has authored three bestseller books on words. In his previous life he was a software engineer. He recently performed the role of Juggan dhobi in Pratidhwani production Ek Tha Gadha.

Bikas Saha

Bikas' directorial debut happened in 3rd grade when he got 12 reluctant classmates to act in a play he had scripted. Its success resulted in a sequel next year but the sequel also unfortunately marked the end of this career as a director. Cut to college where he tried his best to participate in all things stage but his time under the arc lights was limited by his secretarial responsibilities for administration and politics. Yam ne Bana di Jodi presented an opportunity to re-live those heady college days where a bunch of crazy people produce creativity out of chaos. And so you find him chipping in his bit to this amazing show.

Bonny Ghosal

Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy because he felt that an essential part of himself had been neglected. Bonny realized that much early on in life with her first stage performance at age 3 ! Since then all her life she has been involved with dancing as a dancer, choreographer, director and producer. A founding member of Pratidhwani, Bonny has led Pratidhwani’s dance Wing slowly but steadily towards successes like Shyama – a Tagore’s dance-drama, Parampara – a Guru-Shishya Pratha, Jab We Dance – a Bollywood musical and Colors of India – a festival of folk dances from India. It is amazing to see her make time for her passion- dance – between Nintendo, home and a busy 12 year old at hand! Bonny finds immense pleasure working with people who share her passion for dancing and is always on the lookout to add to her extremely talented team of dance enthusiasts. She is proud of her team without whom Pratidhwani Dance Wing would only remain dormant. She is looking forward to realizing a vision, with the successful launch of Yam Ne Bana Di Jodi - promising an evening full of fun and laughter with scintillating dances.

Chiquita Kerur

Chiquita, has been an avid dancer and an eager performer all her life. Starting at age 4, she has performed at numerous school and college events culminating with an honor of Best All Rounder- Cultural for her dancing/acting abilities .Her zenith however was receiving Miss Personality at Malhar, a highly revered intercollegiate festival. Always having a unique connection with the stage she ferreted out opportunities even after completing her education to find Pratidhwani, an avenue for her to once again showcase her dancing skills.

Gurvinder Singh

Gurvinder's stage career started way back in school (in 4th or 5th std) when his teacher needed girls for a dandiya dance and she couldn't find any. Instead she asked him to dance, with his hair open and tons of makeup! Since then Guru has been on stage, be it a dance or a skit or a mime (although never as a girl again!). Aath Ghante was his first hindi play, followed by Dr. Ahuja in Everyone Loves a Good Tsunami, Ensemble role in Gaare ki Deewar, Directed the Bollywood Ballerina Desi Girl and most recently, played the Kotwaal in Ek Tha Gadha. Other than MCing shows (Ina Mina Dika, Gunjan, IAWW Diwali, Cry Idol etc.) and skits, Guru is a member of the Pratidhwani, Dreams, Shub Gill’s Rhythms of India Bhangra group and Hot Sake, a semi-professional Dragon Boating team.

Kishore Kondapalli

Kishore is originally from Hyderabad, INDIA. He presented his first dance in Seattle at WATS as apart of SIDE group. Ever since, he is an active dancer in WATS, Sankara Eye Foundation, KAOW, IAWW etc.,. With the help of Pratidhwani this is the first time he is introduced to Bollywood dance.

Krishnaja Gutta

Krishnaja has always been a dance enthusiast and performed/participated in many events during her school and college days. She has been formally trained in classical dance bharatha Natyam for several years but always eagerly jumps at an opportunity to dance and has picked up the basics of various dances such as salsa, waltz and jive. Her last performance was in the UW dance festival "Desi Dhamaka". After a long break, she is excited to get back to performing live and plan to keep that going.

Mahi Saraf

Music throws smile on her face, beats calm her nerves. Mahi, not a great ballerina but any nice music makes her flow with its rhythm. A Human resource professional born and brought up in India and moved to Seattle in 2006. Since then she became an integral part of Pratidhwani dance wing and thanks to the organization for giving her an opportunity to show her talent and to work with amazing, versatile crew.

Manaswita Mahan

Manaswita has always had a passion for acting. She once promptly announced to the family that she would be an actor and has been never taken seriously since then. As a kid she wanted to join the drama school. Though that was not to be, she actively directed, wrote scripts for and acted in school and college plays. She got her first chance to be associated with Pratidhwani as part of the ensemble cast of Gaare Ki Deevar. With each role played, she has realized that dreaming of being a good actor is easier than being one.

Mausam

Mausam’s tryst with dance ended after class 5th school annual function when he realized he was not the athletic type! Around then he took up music and increasingly got more and more serious about it. An amateur musician (harmonium, keyboard and tabla player) and a sincere listener of Indian Classical Music he has been associated with Pratidhwani’s light music wing for more than 5 years and also plays occasionally with local classical musicians. He is excited to support YNBDJ production (thankfully, not as a performer) on a spot light. In his other life he is seen advising graduate students at the University of Washington.

Lavanya

Lavanya has been extremely passionate about dance since childhood. She was introduced to Bharatnatyam by her parents when she was 6 and has been into this art form ever since. She has taken part in numerous dance and drama competitions during her school and college years. She has been learning Kuchipudi for the past 1.5 years. Her love for dance ranges from Indian classical and folk to Bollywood, hip hop and contemporary. She has performed in various associations, including Northwest Folk life, IAWW and WATS. Recently, she choreographed and performed a fusion dance at WATS which received rave reviews. This is her first stint with Pratidhwani and she hopes the experience will hone her skills as a dancer and performer even further.

Naga Arya

Dance being one of my greatest passions, Arya always intends to dance as if there’s no tomorrow. He cannot resist to keep himself steady even for a minute, with or without music, because he intends to dance with his heart and not with his feet. His first stage performance was with Eswara Eye Foundation in Seattle, and ever since, his journey continued with many other Non-Profit Organizations like WATS, IAWW, etc… and that gave him an opportunity to join the Pratidhwani Dance Wing. It’s his first year with the group and he is really excited about that. He always tries to dance Better every time he performs. For him, DANCE is “Dancing for Anything @ the Cost of Everything” .

Neetu Dacosta

Neetu brings in her artistic background to Pratidhwani. With a good eye for color and a talent for art, she helps design posters and art work for Pratidhwani. She also likes listening to Bollywood music.

Pankaj Lakhina

This is Pankaj's first performance on stage. He is performing in one of the dances and also has a brief acting role in this show. Pankaj's other interests are playing video games, riding his racing bike and sports like tennis, racquetball, soccer and cricket. He also loves the outdoors and looks forward to hiking and biking during the Seattle summer. Pankaj is married to Meenal Mehta who is also volunteering for the show as part of the creativity team. Both work at Microsoft and have been settled in Washington for more than 7 years.

Poornima Acharya

Poornima first started her dance career as a Bharatnatyam dancer and performed stage shows in her school days. She has a passion for dancing and has taken Bharatnatyam training for six & half years. She has also has sung in stage shows during her college days. After a long break from stage performances, she is once again back on stage with Pratidhwani. "Yam ne Bana Di Jodi" is her first show with Pratidhwani.

Pranav Kandula

Pranav is a Seattle veteran, Microsofty, and a musician. He plays keyboards for AllGoRhythms and eSwara bands. Other hobbies include traveling, web designing, sound engineering, multimedia and collecting musical instruments. He loves to network with people and crazy about 4Cs and 2Ps: Cricket, Chess, Carroms, Cinema, Ping Pong and Pool. Besides music & sports, he provides his technical services to the Indian community and organizations in town.

Raashi Bishnoi

Dance to Raashi is a connection to her soul. She started learning Kathak when she was in class 3 and since then have performed various dance forms at School, College and at all India level. Apart from dancing, Raashi also enjoys singing and have been an avid sportsperson. Jab We Dance, her first show with Pratidhwani was a beautiful experience which gave her a chance to pursue my passion once again.A Human Resource Specialist by profession Raashi loves to live life queen size!!

Ria Dutta Roy

Ria is a trained classical dancer who has spent several years learning Bharatanatyam in Gujarat. Besides dancing, she has also choreographed several dance shows during her schooling and college years. Her passion for dance led her towards Pratidhwani in 2008 and she has since, performed with them in several events like the Crossroads Festival(Bangla Folk dance), Colors of India (Ganesh Vandana Classical dance) and now Yam Ne Bana Di Jodi. This being her first attempt of the Bollywood style of dancing, Ria is extremely excited about the show and all set to rock the stage.

Ritesh Makharia

Born and Bought up in Mumbai. Love Dance and Soccer. Had participated in pratidhwani dnace show “Jab We Met” before this and had a lot of fun doing that.

Roshith Rajagopal

After working in "Gaare Ki Deewar" and "Ek Tha Gadha" - both Pratidhwani Drama Wing productions, Roshith is thrilled to be a part of "Yam Ne Bana Di Jodi" produced by the Dance Wing. Roshith’s other performance last year was an intense courtroom drama - "12 Angry Men" with Cascade Community Theater. Roshith enjoys being a software development engineer at Amazon.com and include technology, current affairs, sports and travel in my list of longtime passions. Always game for any kind of competition, he finds himself gravitating towards sports and outdoor activities to stretch his limits. With theater he hopes to take on a new challenge and explore a new dimension of himself.

Saloni Sonpal

Saloni performed for the first time on stage when she was five, when she danced to the tune of a peppy Madhuri Dixit number “Ek Do Teen”. Ever since, there was no looking back J. She trained for classical Bharatanatyam dance for seven years, abhinaya (art of expression) comes as an integral part of her talent. She has won several accolades for dance be it intra-school, inter-school, inter-college, garba, etc. competitions or just a friend’s party. A software engineer by profession; she thoroughly enjoys dance, music, sports, adventure, food, travel and photography!

Sameeksha Subhedar

Performing arts and music have always interested Sameeksha right from her school days, and she has actively participated and enjoyed performing in various dances at her college level, and was also a member of her college orchestra. In Seattle, she has been a member of Pratidhwani and has performed in the Northwest Folk Life festival and the Crossroads Cultural festival. She enjoys all aspects of the stage and feels that YNBDJ has been a fun-filled ride!

Sanjeev Tandle

A Civil Engineer by profession, Sanjeev loves movies, music, filming Pratidhwani events, and spending time with his five-year old daughter Nidhi.

Shama & Akshay

Shama and Akshay , also known as “JoJos” have been choreographing and dancing in dance shows since 2004. Their many shows include “CRY Dreams:Cinderella”, “Bollyhood: Men in Churidar”, “CRY Idol 2006”, and most recently “CRY Dreams: Desi Girl”. They love the stage so much that they even got engaged while in a performance! Besides participating in Bollywood musicals, Shama and Akshay have also recently hosted “Gunjan 2009: Dil Ne Kaha” as the masters of ceremonies. Look out for Shama’s exquisite choreography, and Akshay as “Arjun” in our latest production, “Pratidhwani: Yam Ne Bana Di Jodi”.

Seema Bhat

Seema's interest in dance and music set in at the age of 6. She learnt bharatnatyam for 2 years and gave several stage performances both in western and classical style. Her association with Pratidhwani since 2007 has been a satisfying journey this far. She has been actively involved in various shows organized by Pratidhwani dance wing including "Jab we Dance". Pratidhwani provided her the platform to showcase my talent as a dancer. Music and dance inspires her the most!

Seema Shetty

Seema’s entry into the world of dance was at age 3 when she started learning Bharatanatyam. She has participated in several Bollywood productions in the Seattle area and is excited to be part of Prathidhwani’s new venture. Seema is passionate about travel and along with her husband’s love for photography; they have covered a few countries around the globe, be it adventure travel across Turkey & Spain or volunteering in Brazil. When not working the usual grind for a biotech company in downtown Seattle, she dreams of one day being able to take a sabbatical and trot the globe with a map in hand and no set plans.

Shireen Noori

Shireen has been part of performance art since she was four, through music, acting, and dance. Since then, she has developed a real passion for dance and has dabbled in all types -- from folk, to Indian classical, to break and hip-hop. Shireen has performed items for IAWW (Indian Association of Western Washington) and WATS (Washington Telugu Samithi) on many occasions for the past five years, and has been learning Kuchipudi for the past three years. Recently, Shireen choreographed and performed in two dance pieces for her high school dance company at Forest Ridge. Through Pratidhwani, Shireen is able to engage in an art form she loves, and is also able to grow as a dancer.

Simantinee Roy

Simantinee began her career on stage at a very tender age, performing regularly in school plays. Over the years she has continued to hone her acting and dance skills through performances in various dance dramas. She is also a trained Hindustani Classical Vocalist and has been performing since childhood. She enjoys being a part of Pratidhwani and the opportunity it brings for her to pursue her passion in the world of dance. A winner of two beauty pageants, she has been emceeing various shows, ever since she moved to Seattle.

Sireesha Sivala

Sireesha is very passionate about dancing and has pursued it actively throughout her life. Be it her Bharatanatyam recitals, Bollywood dance shows or walking the ramp, she loves being on stage and believes that performing in front of huge audiences always brings out the best in her. YNBDJ is her first show in Seattle and she considers herself lucky to be doing it as a part of Pratidhwani troupe member and hopes that this is the start of something truly exciting and lasting.

Suchitra Nambiar

Dancing has been Suchitra's passion from the time she can really remember. Though she didn’t start taking any formal training until high school, she was an active participant in most of the school and college culturals. Suchitra's 4 years of learning “Mohiniyattom” (a classical dance from Kerela) has given her a strong base for classical dancing which tends to be the genre she mostly fits in. The fantastic shows of Pratidhwani have been a great venue for her to rekindle and pursue her interests with Dance.

Suchitra Mohan

Nautanki - that was her moniker in college. Suchitra has danced, acted and sang her way through school, undergrad and then grad school. She loves it all - salsa, bollywood, cha cha cha, jazz, ballet, and the Opera! As soon as she landed in Seattle last year, she managed to snag a small role in the Microsoft Theater Troupe's production of the musical 'Into the Woods'. She is thrilled that Pratidhwani picked her to be a part of YNBDJ - being a part of production with a bunch of people so passionately involved in every aspect of it has been a wonderful experience!!

Tanvee Kale

Tanvee is grateful to Microsoft for offering her a job, so she could join Pratidhwani and engage full time in her passion for dance and drama. Of course occasional light taps on her back, read as emails from her mentor and her manager, makes her realize that perhaps she should re-consider who helps her pay herbills, and work on that front a little as well. So, all in all, she works at Microsoft and relax at Pratidhwani.

Vibhuti Kavishwar

Vibhuti is passionate about singing and Dancing. She is cosmetologist by profession with an additional degree of Sangeet Visharad in Indian classical Vocal. Thanks to Pratidhwani for giving her an opprtunity to show her talent in dancing as well as singing.She is currently Part of pratidhwani dance ,lightmusic and classical wing.

Vishal Ashok Narkar

Vishal started his acting career on his high school stage. He participated in numerous Marathi plays and dramas. He forayed into musicals during his University (UT Dallas) days. He discovered his love for dancing during this sojourn and so he decide to continue exploring this new medium of expression through Pratidhwani. He was also a renowned Athlete during his school days. As a Mumbaikar, he represented his city for a painting competition. Among his other hobbies are Cricket, Squash, Running and Painting.