Artistic Director

Shanthi Ashok

Smt. Shanthi Ashok has had the privilege of learning 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 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. Nrityanjali Dance Company, formed by Shanthi Ashok, is a distinguished member of the Virginia Dance Coalition. Shanthi Ashok also served as the Board of Director for Bharatanatyam for Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA). 

In September 2013, Nrityanjali Dance Company successfully organized a production, their first charity event to benefit underprivileged children globally. In 2015, Nrityanjali staged another production to benefit the non-profit organization, which was a huge success. Nrityanjali Dance Company, under the guidance of Smt. Shanthi Ashok has also staged two major productions, Adi Shankaracharaya’s “Shanmatham” and “A Myriad of Folklore” in 2018.