RASIKA SCHOOL OF DANCE
The Rasika School of Dance provides basic and advanced classes in Bharatanatyam (South Indian Classical Dance).
Classes are provided at Hershey and Enola locations. Students enrolled at this school perform regularly at cultural events throughout the state of PA.
The sole purpose of the school is to enrich and maintain the traditional heritage and the fundamental basics of this age old dance style from Southern India, while still staying current and targeting the global audience.
About Rachita
Rachita is the “Founder” and “Artistic Director” for the Rasika School of Dance where she educates and promotes the ancient dance form of Bharatanatyam to her students. Rachita has been trained in the “PANDANALLUR” style of Bharatanatyam and brings over 35 years of expertise to the field.
She received her initial training from Dr Mrs Sucheta Chapekar of Pune and later moved to Chennai to continue her training under the Abhinaya exponent , ‘Natyakalabhushanam” late Mrs Nirmala Ramachandran.
She is a proficient Carnatic singer and a trained Nattuvangam artist.
Rachita’s goal with the dance company has always been to introduce “Bharatanatyam” to the global masses in a unique and creative fashion; however she still strives to maintain the fundamental basics and preserve the traditions.
Rachita has secured a couple of grants from the PCA(Pennsylvania Council on the Arts)for her past productions and had her first collaboration with Gamut theatre on their production”Pericles-King of Tyre” in 2018.She was awarded the “Folk and Traditional Arts” grant from PA council on the Arts to travel to India with one of her students and gain an in-depth knowledge from a master artist in the field of Bharatanatyam.
Rachita is an adjunct professor at the Dickinson College, Carlisle where she teaches Bharatanatyam as a part of the “International Dance “paper.
She is also a part of “Center Stage”, a unique program at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center where dance and arts is being used as a therapeutic mechanism to help patients in their recovery. Rachita’s unique approach of introducing Bharatanatyam in a story telling format through the program”Creative movements” has received much appreciation in the educational field. Her work has been showcased at the Susquehanna Art Museum(VAN GO),Hershey Public Library and the Camp Hill school district to name a few.
Rachita is an Artist in Residence and having worked with both PA as well as the Perry Council on the Arts , has creatively introduced Bharatanatyam into a classroom setting. She has also been acknowledged on the national level through the Academy of Creative Aging.
Rachita has successfully collaborated with the Gamut Theatre in Harrisburg,bringing Bharatanatyam to a theatre setting for the first time in Central PA.
“Panchatantra Tales” in 2022 and the classic “The Jungle Book” in 2023 were both much appreciated by the audiences and ran full house.
Rachita and her dance company were invited to perform at the prestigious “Carnegie Hall” in NYC for the “All Indian Dance Festival” in July of 2023.
When Rachita is not dancing or teaching dance, she enjoys working at Derry Preschool in Hershey where she pursues her passion to educate young minds.