About Natya Shakti

Anwesha Das is one of the leading practitioners of Bharatanayam of her generation. She is the disciple of Guru Smt. Urmila Sathyanarayanan. Critically acclaimed, Anwesha has been awarded with several prestigious titles from leading Indian cultural organizations including “Nadanamamani” from Kartik Fine Arts, “Yuva Kala Bharati” from Bharat Kalachar, “Natya Chudar” from Kartik Fine Arts, “Best Dancer” from Cleveland Aradhana USA,“Natya Saradhi” from Natraj Music and Dance Academy, Vizag, “Nritya Shiromani” from Utkala Yuva Sanskrutik Sangh and “Nritya Damini” from Shri Ariyakudi Music Foundation. She has been granted the honor of a Master in the Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship program in 2019 & 2022. A graded artiste of the Doordarshan (India’s national television channel), Anwesha is also empaneled with ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations). Credited with excellent reviews from leading Indian dance critics such as Late Shri. Subbudu and Ms. Leela Venkataraman, Anwesha performs in the world-renowned Margazhi Music and Dance festival of Chennai every December. Below are some important organizations and festivals where she has performed.

Anwesha is the founder and artistic director of her dance school – Natya Shakti in Bothell, WA where she offers intensive Bharatanatyam training, which is rooted in the traditional lexicon of the ancient Indian classical dance. Her goal is to share the richness of Indian classical dance and heritage through performances, collaborations, workshops and lecture-demonstrations . During the pandemic, she successfully organized two editions of Seattle Youth Dance Festival(online) for the budding dancers of Seattle to keep up their spirit by showcasing their talent to a wider audience base.