The Jai Govinda Dance Academy offers a comprehensive training program in bharata natyam, one of the eight classical dance forms of India. Students are taught the basic and technical aspects of this traditional dance form, as well as the mythological context and cultural traditions integral to the form.
Led by founder Jai Govinda and teacher Rena Boggaram, group classes are held weekly at Scotiabank Dance Centre in downtown Vancouver, and are open to students at all levels. Private and semi-private classes are open to intermediate and advanced students, and are held in the Academy’s private studio in Vancouver.
The Academy supports graduates in presenting their arangetram, or debut graduation performance, a vital tradition in bharata natyam. Academy graduates have gone on to become professional performers and teachers, sharing the art of bharata natyam in regional, national, and international contexts. Graduates of the Academy include Rena Boggaram, Ishwarya Chaitanya, Ginette Dion, Almira Esmail, Zahra Esmail, Anusha Fernando, Camille and Radica Gautam, Shawn Jagdeo, Farzana J. Jeraj, Priya Kumar, Paromita Naidu, Ashika Narayan, Julie Price, Kiruthika Rathanaswami, Rajeshwari Sundararajan and André Sauvé.
The Academy also works to enhance the vitality of this dance form in Canada. As well as presenting original bharata natyam works, the Academy invites guest artists and teachers from across Canada, India, and the United States to Vancouver for workshops, lecture demonstrations and performances.
The Jai Govinda Dance Academy was established in 1994, and now operates under the umbrella of Mandala Arts and Culture.