When Smt. Rekha Balaji moved out of Louisville, Shyama began learning under her mother, Akila Iyer. In 2007 at the age of nine, she became Smt. Dr. Vasundara Dorasamy’s student. She has been training under her every summer ever since. She gave her Rangapravesham in 2011.
Shyama has been pursuing Carnatic Music since the age of three. She loves singing. Her other passion is the piano. She also plays the violin.
At school Shyama is a straight A student and excels in Visual Arts. She will be an eighth grader at Noe Middle School this fall. Her film choreography on bharatanatyam titled “Together We Can Live in Peace and Harmony” has been selected for Nationals.
Shyama’s dream is to live with her teacher in India and become more proficient in Bharatanatyam so she can instill the art form in others.
About Akila Iyer and Guru Vandana Academy
By the grace and blessings of the Almighty, Smt. Akila Iyer was first introduced to Bharatanatyam by the Dhananjayans in their school, Bharathakalanjali in Chennai, the hub of classical music and dance. After moving to Louisville, her interest in dance was rekindled by Smt. Rekha Balaji, who was the inspiration to Akila’s dance school, GURU VANDANA ACADEMY (GVA).
In its decade-long existence, GVA has evolved, the most significant being adopted by Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy. Slowly but steadily the school has moved from the Kalakshetra to the Pandanallur style of Bharatnatyam. Today, the students of GVA are indeed fortunate to belong indirectly to Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy’s dance school.
As a representative of this art form, Akila and GVA have always strived to be authentic while being creative. In Kentucky, GVA has taken Bharatanatyam to places like the Kentucky Historic Society, Frankfort, Frazier Museum, Louisville, and Kentucky Center for the Arts, Louisville.
Akila’s joy in working with children led to the birth of the Annual Summer Dance Camp and performance. With dance dramas like “Vasundara Moksham”, “Harikatha”, and “Jalesmin”, she has tried to explore Hinduism and India’s history. She loves the challenge of presenting her finds in the form of dance.
In recent years Akila and her team have performed in various venues outside Kentucky – in Huntington, WV; LeMont, IL; and Troy, MI.
Bharatanatyam, being the unfathomable ocean it is, the journey continues for Akila and GVA as she is guided through this ocean by the beacon, Guru Vasundhara Amma.