NRITYOLLASA

Dedicated Bharatanatyam artist Roopa Shyamasundara founded Nrityollasa Center for Performing Arts with humble beginnings in 1991. The goals of the school were to provide high quality training in this exquisite dance form, to allow the rich cultural heritage of India to blossom through performing art, and to build a solid foundation for students to graduate in the traditional style and carry on their learnings into the future. Today, the center’s original goals remain unchanged. Based in Rochester Hills, Nrityollasa has hosted Bharatanatyam dancers from around the world to perform and has produced four classical Bharatanatyam dance dramas – Sri Krishna (1991), Bhavayami Raghuramam (1995), Gita Govinda (1998) and Sri Krishna – Prema, Bhakti, Mukti (2002 & 2006). The enthusiastic and talented young students of the Nrityollasa all perform. Artistic education is enhanced every year by Summer Camps, which bring in world-renowned Bharatanatyam exponents like the Dhananjayans to hold workshops and interactive lecture-demonstrations.

On October 3^rd, 2010, Nrityollasa had the privilege to collaborate with AIM for Seva, an internationally acclaimed charitable organization focused on delving deep into the ancient tradition of seva (selfless work) to provide children in India with education, food, water and clothing. The program Nrityollasa participated in was entitled Desh and commemorated India’s history as well as its tradition of seva. It was truly a memorable event in which India’s ancient art forms merged with ancient traditions of working for social good, all with the goal of delivering solutions to modern India’s important issues. The program raised $100,000 for AIM for Seva initiatives – the money will be allocated to take care of 300 children for 1 year and fund an eye hospital for 1 year!  Nrityollasa holds classes across the Metro Detroit region and continues to propagate the beauty, subtlety and sophistication of the world’s oldest dance form.  Continued generous support from the Indian community of Metro Detroit has allowed the school to flourish for 19 years, with many more to come. 

Roopa Shyamasundara

Roopa started learning Bharatanatyam under the able guidance of Smt Radha Sridhar. She completed her arangetram in 1979. Roopa received a prestigious dance scholarship from the Government of India and completed her proficiency exam (Master of Arts) with distinction. She has also acquired advanced training under the Dhananjayans, Usha Datar, noted Kathak exponent Smt Maya Rao, and renowned abhinaya exponent Smt Kalanidhi Narayanan. In India, Roopa has performed solo at noted music and dance conferences and on television, besides appearing in major roles in dance dramas and enthralling the audience with her grace and abhinaya. After arriving in the US in 1990, Roopa has given many performances all over the country as well as in Canada. She has choreographed and presented four dance dramas – Sri Krishna (1991), Bhavayami Raghuramam (1995), Gita Govinda (1998) and Sri Krishna – Prema, Bhakti, Mukti (2002 & 2006). In the year 2002, to commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of her dance institution Nrityollasa, she produced and choreographed Sri Krishna – Prema, Bhakti, Mukti. This was presented again on demand in the year 2006 at Nrityollasa’s 15^th Anniversary dance festival, Nritya Nivedanam. Roopa was also featured in the Michigan Emmy Award-Winning documentary Our Story of India, produced in 2008. She has also been recognized as a Master Artist by the Michigan State University Museum. At the most recent Nrityollasa program, a dance drama for AIM for Seva’s Desh, Roopa was extolled for her refined choreographic skills, dedication and extraordinary stage management by Swami Dayananda Saraswati – the founder of AIM for Seva, who is very well versed in the texts of the Natya Shastra.  Roopa is currently training students in Bharatanatyam at her dance institution Nrityollasa Center for Performing Arts, from which nineteen students have successfully graduated in the traditional style. Nrityollasa has branches in Ann Arbor, West Bloomfield, Novi as well as in Rochester Hills, where it is based.