Shanthi Ashok
Smt. Shanthi Ashok has had the privilege of learning dance under the guidance of Guru S. Vasantha and Guru S. Subalakshmi of Kalanjali School of Arts in Bombay, India. The Gurus of Kalanjali are the disciples of Guru Pandanallur Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai. They are recipients of many awards, including the titles of “Nritya Shivali” in 2008 and “Nritya Shiromani” in 2009, conferred by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Under the tutelage of her Gurus, Shanthi Ashok has enriched her dance vocabulary and extended her frontiers of dance tradition to evolve her own distinct style.
Shanthi Ashok also served as the Board of Director for Bharatanatyam for Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA) from 2015 to 2017 and has been a distinguished member of the Virginia Dance Coalition for over nine years. Nrityanjali Dance Company, formed by Smt. Shanthi Ashok in 2010, has staged multiple productions in the D.C. area, ranging from bharatanatyam to Indian folk styles.