DANSENSE~NRTYABODHA
Community of Indian Dance Arts

The mission of Dansense~Nrtyabodha, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is to build a community of inquiry and compassion through the Indian dance arts. By conducting and facilitating classes, workshops, collaborations, and accessible programming, Dansense~Nrtyabodha fosters an artist's inner journey towards a voice of strength and grace and guides their outer journey towards meaningful community engagement. Dansense~Nrtyabodha seeks to awaken our senses through the power of dance.

Under the direction of Sumana Sen Mandala, Dansense has promoted Indian dance arts for more than 20 years.  Dansense is unique because of its focus on BHARATA-NRITYAM pedagogy, in which Sumana specialized under the guidance of Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam.  A thorough and disciplined teaching style,  enhanced by an MFA degree in Dance, guides students to an holistic understanding of  Indian dance with a firm grounding in Natyashastra theory and Bharata-Natyam. Sumana dedicates herself to nurturing students' creative skills and helping them adapt their education to their personal experiences, while acknowledging the traditions that have scaffolded the artistic expression of the dance form. 
The hallmark of Dansense, beyond its unique pedagogy, is its engagement with community to use Bharata Nrityam in collaborations to center voices that are silenced and in producing works that are more accessible in non-traditional spaces.

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*Photos by Naini Mandala, unless otherwise credited.