Who is Srija Wang?
Srija Wang is a Bharatanatyam artist, choreographer, educator and founder of Nrityaarpana School of Bharatanatyam. Her artistic practice focuses on preserving the integrity of Bharatanatyam while exploring intercultural dialogue through historically informed performance, research and choreography. Her work looks at shared cultural heritage, movement traditions and artistic exchanges across Asia. Alongside her work as a performer and teacher, Srija is also a full-time Bharatanatyam educator. In addition, she runs an e-commerce business focused on dance practice sarees, accessories for dancers and hand-block-printed clothing for children and adults.
How did Srija Wang train in Bharatanatyam?
Srija has trained in the Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam since 2015 under Guru Smt. Vanishree Ravishankar and Guru Kalaimamani Smt. Roja Kannan. Her training is grounded in the discipline and technical foundations of the classical form. In 2023, she began studying karanas under the direct guidance of Dr. Padma Subramanyam. She completed her formal karana training in 2025 and continues advanced choreography studies through Dr. Padma Subramanyam’s Nrtya Sangraha program. Srija completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram in Chennai, India, in 2023. She continues to travel to India for advanced training in dance, music and related artistic disciplines.
What is Srija Wang’s approach to teaching Bharatanatyam?
For Srija, classical dance education begins with a strong technical foundation. She strictly follows the traditional teaching approach and believes that the quality of dance should never be compromised for the sake of putting on a performance. She firmly believes that students should have a strong grasp of adavus and talam before learning and presenting an item on stage. Rather than rushing students towards performances, her teaching focuses on ensuring that they understand the fundamentals of Bharatanatyam first. This approach reflects her larger commitment to maintaining the discipline, technique and integrity of the classical form. Moreover, she helps students develop a deeper understanding of the dance.
What inspires Srija Wang’s choreography?
Srija’s choreographic practice draws from Bharatanatyam, Buddhist artistic traditions, poetry, mythology and intercultural research. Her recent works have explored themes including nature, spirituality and embodied storytelling, using movement and expression to communicate ideas across cultural and linguistic boundaries. She has performed in both India and the United States, and has created original choreographies for students and community productions through her dance school and other artistic initiatives. Her work allows her to explore Bharatanatyam not only as a classical performance tradition. In addition, she uses it as a medium through which history, mythology, spirituality and cultural exchange can be explored.
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What is Kalāsangama?
Srija is currently developing Kalāsangama, an interdisciplinary dance production inspired by the Buddhist murals of the Mogao Caves and the historical cultural exchanges between India and China through Buddhism and the Silk Road. The project brings together Bharatanatyam and Dunhuang-inspired movement traditions and explores the artistic connections between the two cultural traditions. Through the production, Srija aims to foster intercultural awareness and highlight the shared artistic histories that connect classical traditions across Asia. Kalāsangama reflects her wider interest in researching how movement, art, ideas and cultural practices travelled across regions. It also explores how these developed through centuries of exchange.
What does Srija Wang do beyond performing and teaching dance?
Bharatanatyam is Srija’s full-time profession, with her work centred on teaching, choreography, performance, research and creating opportunities for artistic exchange and community engagement. Alongside her dance practice, she has also developed an e-commerce business serving dancers and families. The business focuses on dance practice sarees and accessories for dancers, designed around the practical needs of dance practice. Moreover, she creates hand-block-printed clothing for kids and adults. Her entrepreneurial work brings together her interest in dance, traditional aesthetics and clothing. Moreover, it extends her engagement with culture beyond the classroom and stage.
What makes Srija Wang’s journey stand out?
Srija’s journey brings together classical discipline, cultural preservation, research and intercultural exchange. While she remains firmly rooted in traditional Bharatanatyam training, her work also looks outward, exploring connections between Indian dance, Buddhist art, mythology, history and other Asian movement traditions. Her insistence on strong foundations in adavus and talam, combined with her advanced study of karanas and continued training in India, reflects her commitment to maintaining high standards in classical dance education. At the same time, projects such as Kalāsangama demonstrate her interest in using dance to explore shared cultural histories. These projects also create meaningful conversations between artistic traditions.