ACADEMY
The Jai Govinda Dance Academy operates under the umbrella of Mandala Arts and Culture in Vancouver BC as a premiere school of the Indian classical style bharata natyam. The excellence of the dance training received at the Academy is recognized and supported by the CANADA ARTS TRAINING FUNDS – CATF of Heritage Canada. The academy offers a comprehensive training program for students from beginner to advance levels as well as professional development.
The beginner classes is a stimulating introduction to the many aspects of the dance form, while the professional training program is designed for serious students who are prepared to follow a strict curriculum leading to a possible dance graduation/arangetram. Professional and post professional training is also a large part of the Academy’s program. Many of the Academy’s graduates are pursuing a career in dance as performers, teachers and creators, and are recipients of arts fundings and awards.
Beginner, Intermediate and Advance classes are offered every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm in the spacious studios of the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street) in the heart of downtown Vancouver. The year term is divided into 2 sessions of 18 classes each: Fall-Winter/Winter-Spring, starting in September and concluding in June.
Beginner 1 10-11 am
Beginner 1 10 to 11 am
Intermediate 11 to 12 pm
Advance 12 to 2 pm
Private and semi private classes are also offered throughout the week at the Academy's studio. Registration for these classes are by appointment only. Saturday group classes are mandatory to those who wish to enrol in that program.
....(after).... starting in September and concluding in June, (PLEASE ADD) For this years schedule kindly go to the registration form.
BHARATA NATYAM
bharata natyam is one of the many Indian classical dance styles. Originally performed in the temples of South India by the devadasis as an offering to the gods, bharata natyam survived abolition and near extinction, to be revived and brought up to the stage some 100 years ago. The rebirth of bharata natyam was contagious. It inspired generations of illustrious masters, dancers and musicians, who insured the continuity and creativity of the art form to the present day. Today, through their fresh interpretations, bharata natyam artists bring new dimensions to the traditional repertoire. bharata natyam is now taught and performed internation
2019-2020 Teaching Staff
Jai Govinda
Arno Kamolika
Aishwarya Roshan
Arno Kamolika was initially trained in bharata anatyam under Professor C. V. Chandrasekhar and Belayet Hossain and in Manipuri under Sharmila Banerjee, Tamanna Rahman and Kalavati Devi. Upon moving to Vancouver she joined the Academy and completed her graduation under Jai Govinda in 2011. Under Mandala she has also taken master classes and workshops with Smt. Bragha Bessel, Priyadarshini Govind, Savitha Shastry and has also taken other master classes with esteemed artists including Leela Samson, Madhvi Mudgal, Parshwanath Upadhyay, Partha Pratim Majumder. An architecture graduate, Arno has given many performance as a soloist and in group productions such as Tagore’s Shyama- a bharatanatyam interpretation, Discover Dance, UBC president’s installation ceremony, Dancer’s Transit Resource Centre, Embodied Practice at SFU and Diwali Celebrations and has travelled to different festivals in LA, Germany, India and Bangladesh. She is the recipient of various grants and awards including BC Arts project assistance grant in 2017. Arno has been teaching at the Academy since 2014. Aside from continuing to develop a repertoire of choreographies with Jai Govinda, she is also working with Vancouver Tagore Society as a festival coordinator and in creating projects incorporating live music, dance and poetry.
Aishwarya Roshan graduated from the Jai Govinda Dance Academy in 2014. She has since performed at a variety of events as a soloist and in group productions. Amongst them, she was the opened and closed the event performances for the “Namaste Canada” 2016 and 2017, an event organized by the Consulate General of India. In 2016, she was a headlining performer for New Works’ Dance Allsorts. In 2018, Aishwarya curated and presented a 2-hour bharata natyam solo dance recital choreographed by Jai Govinda titled, “Satya": The Ultimate Reality” at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. The sold out performance was a major success. She has attended workshops and master classes with Mandala guest artists such as Smt. Bragha Bessell. Aishwarya continues developing her repertoire of choreographies under Jai Govinda. She has just recently joined the teaching staff of the Academy.
