Atlanta Kathak’s mission is to endow education and tradition of the ancient art of Kathak through a fresh, and youthful perspective. While keeping consistent with the ancient style, we add a modern athleticism and flair. Our focus is to perfect the Nritta, Nritya, and Natya aspects of Kathak through dedicated training to enable our students to shine their brightest in Kathak. Words we live by- “Think Beautifully, Live Beautifully, Dance Beautifully, Shine”.
Brittny Vanece | Founder & Director
Brittny is an internationally recognized Kathak dancer who hails from the Jaipur Gharana style of Kathak. Guru Prashant Shah ji is her Guru for advanced studies. She has learned from Kumud Savla ji of Nritya Natya Kala Bharti, through her formative years. Brittny has also learned from some of the all time greats including Pandit Rajendra Gangani ji, Pandit Birju Maharaj ji, and Pandita Maneesha Sathe ji.
Brittny obtained her Visharad Purna (Bachelor’s degree in Performance Arts) with distinction from Bharati Vidyapeeth University (Pune, India). She is also a graduate of Auburn University with Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Education, and is a member of the National Association of Schools of Dance.
Brittny is a prolific performer. She was recently selected to perform at Carnegie Hall, and the one of a kind New York Kathak Festival, which featured some of the best Kathak dancers from around the world, as well as legendary stalwarts including Pandit Birju Maharaj ji and her Guru, Prashant Shah ji.
Aditi Shekhar| Principal Kathak Instructor
Aditi began learning Kathak at the age of 4, and has obtained her Bachelor’s degree. She has received rigorous Instructor training for the last year with Atlanta Kathak.
Aditi has recently graduated from Campbell High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program. She has been accepted to Georgia Institute of Technology, and is pursuing a degree in Business. When she is not dancing, she enjoys spending time with her friends and watching Bollywood movies.
Mugdha Cerejo | Principal Kathak Instructor
Mugdha grew up in India surrounded by a creative family. After working for a telecom company for two years to pursue an engineering career, she came to U.S. to pursue her Masters in Computer Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. She worked at a pharmaceutical company for ten years, while exploring different avenues of creative expression.
Fulfilling her love of dance, she became a member of a community dance troupe, which gave her the opportunity to perform at the Indian consulate in New York many times. But her most memorable experience was performing at Times Square in front of a million people to showcase the culture of Maharashtra, as well as Carnegie Hall.
She started her Kathak journey under guru Archana Joglekar in New Jersey and soon realized that Kathak was her favorite form of Indian classical dance. When life took a turn towards Atlanta, she continued her Kathak education at Atlanta Kathak. She is currently preparing for her 5th year exam. Her ability to engage with kids of all ages, her sense of humor, and her creative talent are some of her key qualities.
In her spare time, she can be found at the school’s Science Lab, backstage making props for the musical theater, or simply using her sewing skills as a form of therapy.
Shefali Harankhedkar | Principal Kathak Instructor
Shefali has been learning Kathak on and off for years since the age of 5 but she regularly started training with Guru Maneesha Sathe ji’s senior disciple Mithila Bhide in Pune from the year 2010 and has not looked back since. She moved to the US in 2016 and continues training under the tutelage of Brittny Vanece expanding and deepening her knowledge in the field of Kathak. She is currently preparing for her Visharad Pratham exam. She loves to perform on stage and feels that is the one time that you can shed all your inhibitions and truly be yourself.
She also has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Pune, India and has worked as a post doctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Apart from this, she loves to read fiction and is a big fan of magical worlds.
Shaivi Sharma | Assistant Kathak & Bollywood Instructor
Shaivi began learning Kathak at the age of 6. She is a junior in high school. She is currently advancing at the Visharad Purna level of Kathak at Atlanta Kathak. She is known for her great memory of Kathak compositions, and work ethic. Her relatable, positive attitude is what her students love the most about her. Shaivi enjoys running cross country, baking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Jhanvi Patel | Assistant Kathak Instructor
Jhanvi began learning Kathak at the age of 8, and is currently preparing for her Visharad Purna exam. She is a junior at Alliance Academy for Innovation. Her favorite part of Kathak is the intricate footwork. She also enjoys performing on stage. Apart from Kathak, Jhanvi loves hanging out with friends and family, reading, golfing, and catching up on her favorite shows.
Sampada Simica | Assistant Kathak Instructor
Sampada started her kathak journey encouraged by her mom, at age 10 in Gujarat india under guru Late Mrs. Janaki Damle-ji in the Jaipur Gharana. She fell in love with this classical dance form and decided to purse her training post her bachelors in USA. She is currently a Visharad Purna year student at Atlanta Kathak. She considers herself a student of dance for life, and has enjoyed her biggest performance at Carnegie Hall. Sampada loves performing and pushing her limits inspired by her teacher Brittny Vanece. She has a bachelors degree in management information system. When she is not dancing, she works full time and is a busy mom to her two kids! She also loves everything bollywood, spicy foods, watching movies, hanging out with friends and family, and making silly jokes and laughing.
Rajwinder Dev | Assistant Kathak Instructor
Rajwinder started her kathak journey in 2014 with another school in Atlanta, then joined Atlanta Kathak, and gained Brittny Vanece as her Guru in 2018. She is currently in Level 6, pursuing her Visharad Pratham. She enjoys performing on stage, and her most memorable performance yet has been at Carnegie Hall.
She has been dancing, performing, and choreographing dance since she was young, specifically the dance forms of Bhangra, Giddha, and Bollywood. She pursued her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, and Master of Public Administration, concentrating in Health Policy. Outside of dance, she works full time in the Healthtech industry, enjoys reading, watching shows and movies, and loves her fur baby, Millie.
When Pavitra embarked on her Kathak journey, rather coincidentally, in 2001, little did she know that this art form was going to turn into a long-lasting passion. She loves Kathak not just for the grace it accentuates, but for the creativity and improvisations it allows and above all the connection it creates between the body, mind and music. Pavitra completed her Visharad in Kathak under the tutelage of Brittny Vanece and wishes to continue her Kathak learning experience. Under the guidance of Brittny Vanece, she not only learnt the various aspects of the Jaitpur Gharana, but also got the opportunity to learn the nuances of other Gharanas and from multiple gurus like Prashant Shah and Shambhavi Dhandekar. Performing at the Carnegie Hall and a solo at the Atlanta Kathak recital has been some of her recent memorable experiences. She is a Computer Science Engineer and works professionally as a Software Engineer Manager. She is a busy mother of two boys, but has chosen to pursue her passion for Kathak alongside. Besides Kathak, she enjoys Indian music, singing, drawing, painting, reading, cooking and everything that is creative. She is an Indian movie buff and loves to spend time with family and friends.
Nikki S. Mahajan is a graduate of Georgia State University, with a BS in Biology and a Visharad II Purna from Atlanta Kathak. Nikki began learning kathak as a 17-year-old senior in high school. Two decades later, walking into a kathak class still evokes the same joy and anticipation, serving as her foremost outlet for connecting with her cultural roots and her love of the performing arts. Over the past two decades, Nikki has performed at the Rialto theater, Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts, Cobb Energy Center and the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. Her favorite part of kathak is the intricate footwork. What you learn is influenced greatly by those who teach you and Nikki found immense dedication and a shared love of the craft in her teacher Ms. Brittny, whom she joined in 2019. Nikki has realized her dream of taking her knowledge a step further by teaching a current generation of kathak enthusiasts. In her spare time, Nikki enjoys traveling with her husband and two children, and spending time with family and friends.
Anya has been learning Kathak since the age of 8. It started as a hobby with another school but soon she developed a liking and started enjoying this dance form especially under the training of her Guru, Ms.Brittny Vanece. Anya joined Atlanta Kathak in 2018 and is currently pursuing her final year/ Visharad Purna level of her Kathak journey. She is a sophomore at Lambert High School. She has grown beautifully in this dance form that improved her flexibility, reduced stress and developed her confidence, love and enjoyment to perform on stage. Her favorite part of this dance is the intricate footwork that is involved with the “jugalbandi” of the musicians at the beat of tabla along with the gracefulness of this classical dance.Her most memorable and recent opportunity had her to perform Internationally at the Dora Strom stadium in Athens, Greece, as part of the Festival of India and represent her dance school there.
Apart from Kathak, Anya enjoys playing volleyball, piano, tennis, watching shows, and spending time with friends and family.
Parthvi started Kathak in kindergarten. Right now she is proceeding with a BVDU Diploma 2 degree in kathak. She is a freshman in Highschool. When she is not dancing, she enjoys running Varsity cross country, traveling around the world, and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite part of Kathak is the fast spins and preforming on stage.
Samreen began learning Kathak at the age of 4 and completed the CID Program last year. She is currently a Junior at Innovation Academy. Her favorite part of Kathak is the fast spins and footwork. Aside from Kathak, Samreen also enjoys Taekwondo, painting, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Contact Us:
Atlanta Kathak
404-987-6397
info@atlantakathak.com
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