Press

08 Aug 2015

Dance benefits USF Bridge Clinic

Tampa, Florida — A local dance studio is rehearsing for one of its biggest productions. “It’s got a very interesting storyline; it’s so dramatic and theatrical,” said Shreya Narayanan, Co-Director of Shreya’s – An Expression of Dance Studio. Not only do they keep the tradition of Indian culture alive through theater, music and dance, but they give back to local charities. “It gives you a lot of pleasure to give as oppose to receive and we’re lucky enough that we […]

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07 Aug 2015

BRIDGE Fundraiser

This is a package I did about a fundraiser that will take place in efforts to raise money for the BRIDGE Clinic. The funraiser is an Indian Classical dance entitled Dashavataram that will be held at Sickles High School. The proceeds will be going to the BRIDGE Clinic which is a clinic that is free of charge for those who are unable to afford health care. The volunteers and doctrines who dedicate their time to the clinic do it pro […]

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22 Jun 2015

‘Bollywood Oscars’ visitors will find growing Indian-American community

When Pawan Rattan and his wife arrived in Tampa in 1982, they encountered few other people from India. If it happened, it was a thrill. “We would cross the street to meet somebody,” said Dr. Rattan, 65, born in the state of Punjab. The retired physician is no longer lonely for countrymen. The last U.S. census recorded 15,242 people of Indian descent in Hillsborough County and 12,697 in the four surrounding counties, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Manatee. Counts will spike […]

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07 May 2015

Divine Language of Dance

Shreya Narayanan is a 17-year-old Hillsborough High School senior who wants to go to NYU next year to study Broadcasting. But recently at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, she was the incarnation of Shiva – the Lord Nataraja, the Hindu God of Dance. From the moment she walks on stage, she commands our attention. She wears a traditional Indian embroidered overskirt and pants. While her back is ramrod straight, her arms and legs extend in arcs, touching the invisible circle of […]

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17 Feb 2015

Hindu god Krishna portrayed in complex dance

CITRUS PARK — The stories of the Hindu god Krishna will be told in splashes of vibrant colors and rhythmic music Saturday in an extraordinary classical dance called Sri Krishna Leela. Performing in the Bharatanatyam style that dates to 2000 B.C. in India, 28 members of a troupe from Carrollwood’s Shreyas An Expression of Dance studio will take to the stage at Sickles High School to re-enact the life of Krishna — his childhood foibles, his marriage and his struggles […]

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07 Dec 2014

Tampa Dance Drama Draws Huge Audience

An entranced crowd of more than 600 witnessed “Dashavataram-A Magical Journey” presented by Shreyas-An Expression of Dance on June 1. The dance drama was the masterpiece of legendary dancer and actress Padmini Ramachandran, a leading actress who starred with Sivaji Ganesan in Tamil and Raj Kapoor in Hindi. Sheila Narayanan, a longtime student of Padmini Ramachandran, and her daughter Shreya Narayanan, who run Shreyas Arts in Tampa, chose to perform this classic Bharatha Natyam dance drama in its original form […]

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11 Sep 2014

Indian culture comes alive

Shreya and Sheila Narayanan were inspired by songs, costumes and choreography ideas to produce the dance production “Samarpana.” And 41 members of the Shreyas Art Troupe will perform “Samarpana” from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Sickles High to show the progression of classical Indian dance. “It’s about the evolution of dance,” Sheila said. “It’s about everything dance is and is meant to be.” Sheila owns Shreyas – An Expression of Dance studio and shares the teaching duties with her daughter, Shreya, […]

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23 Jul 2014

Traditional Indian dance brings Hindu scripture to life

On a recent Sunday morning at a studio on Gunn Highway, nine barefoot Indian dance students intently practiced for an upcoming performance. Dressed in colorful silk saris, the dancer’s rhythmic and deliberate leaps reverberated the floor. Bharatha Natyam is a theatrical form of dance dating back to 2000 B.C. with roots in classical Hindu scriptures, which are even older, said Sheila Pitchumoni Narayanan, of Carrollwood Village. Initially created to visually explain complex religious stories, over time, the traditional Indian dance […]

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18 Jan 2014

Mother, daughter learn and dance together in Indian classical style

Aneetha Karthik danced in her native India for about four years as a child, but stopped when she was in sixth grade. So unlike many other Indian girls, Karthik never got to experience Arangetram, a traditional debut performance that is the culmination of years of intensive study. Until recently, that is. As her own daughter Arnika approached the milestone, Karthik decided to study with her. Both mother, now a full-time dentist, and daughter, a junior at Hillsborough High School, knew […]

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