At a very young age in the quest for Indian Dance she found her inspiration in renowned dance exponent Dr. Sobha Naidu. Her passion for the art continued through her learning years and she completed the course of study �Natya Visarada� - at Kuchipudi Art Academy, Hyderabad, India. Under the guidance of her guru Lakshmi began a career as a dance instructor and established the Kuchipudi Dance Academy, in 1996. Today, the academy is a well established institute that attracts young and adult aspiring dancers, and is known to be a popular dance school in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. Known to be gifted with a soft hearted, kind, and generous nature she walks hand in hand and leads the students on their journey to discover and experience the graceful movements, intricate footwork, complicated rhythmic patterns, beautiful facial expressions, and the rapid tempo of the Kuchipudi Dance form. Taking pride from graduating seniors, Lakshmi Babu has so far produced seven acclaimed young performers and one adult performer. Shri Vishwayogi Viswamiji of Vishwayogi Viswamiji foundation for Integration and Peace awarded her the title �Nava Natya Kala Vibhushani', during Guru Poornima celebration at Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Washington DC, in 2001. She was also awarded the Teacher Recognition Certificate by the National Foundation for the advancement in the Arts (USA) 2004-05 Arts Recognition and Talent Search Program - finalist entry being her first student Pallavi Uppuluri. Playing an active role in the Washington DC area cultural and community events Lakshmi has been associated with voluntary positions at various socio-cultural Organizations. Presently, she is the Executive Cultural Director of the Capitol Area Telugu Cultural Society (CATS). She has been an active member of the Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA) since 1993.

By staging various solo performances and dance drama productions along with students, impressing the knowledgeable audience and bringing about curiosity to the lay audience Lakshmi has made several contributions to the Kuchipudi Art Form.

Choreographies of Guru Dr. Sobha Naidu such as Sri Krishna Parijatham (1996, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2002), Chandalika (1997, 1999, 2005, 2006), Puttadibomma Poornamma (1998), Menaka Vishwamitra (2002 and 2003), Kalyana Srinivasam (2004), have been staged with success.

Lakshmi has also promoted several visiting artists and has provided a platform for them. The dance drama Mohini Bhasmasura in 2005 and Mahishasura Mardhini in 2006 have been staged along with Sri. Pasumarthy V. Sarma, dance choreographer, artist and director from India. Having the opportunity to work with Mrs. Veena Murthy a well known dance guru from Bangalore, India, Lakshmi was fortunate to experience the learning of the unique Simhanandini dance, (picture painting of a lion with movements of the feet). Lakshmi has had the opportunity of having worked with young gurus like Vempati Ravi, Vedantam Raghava, Vedantam Venkat and having hosted prima artists like Swapnasundari and scholars like Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao adding richness to her experiences in the field.

Lakshmi has performed and participated at events sponsored by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, US Army Research Laboratory, US Dept of Transportation, US FDA, National 4H Council, National Institutes of Health, India Fest-Norfolk VA, Karuna Charities, National Cathedral School, New York Life Insurance Company, Residence of Ambassador of India, Embassy of India, Department of Health and Human Services, Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Durga Mandir, Murugan Temple of North America, University of MD, India Association of Greater Charleston, Telugu Literary Association of NY, Arts Drama Therapy Institute, Greater Washington Telugu Cultural Society, AID India, India Cultural Coordination Committee, Silicon Andhra San Francisco, America Telugu Association (ATA), Telugu Association of North America (TANA), and Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA) to name a few.

Artistic Choreographer/producer Asha Vattikuti is the founder/ Director of Indian Dance Educators Association an organization primarily devoted to promoting Indian dance in America. She is the artistic director of newly founded dance company "Kathakas" devoted to the art of Kathak dance, classical dance style from North India.She has spent a lifetime studying and teaching the art of Kathak dance for which she received an award as Master Artist from the Heritage Foundation of State of Virginia. She has been teaching Kathak for past 20 years, first in Detroit, MI and later in Washington area.She has trained several young dancers to a professional level

* She has produced and choreographed several dance productions using Kathak with some leading dancers of India such as "Megh Dut" based on the short poem by the 4th century poet Kalidasa, with the world famous Pundit Birju Maharaj, "Vikramaditya" the legend of the powerful emperor Chandra Gupta II, during the "Golden Age" of India, with Mrs. Maya Rao.

*She presented "On the Banks of Jamuna" a Kathak program tracing the history of Kathak dance at the "Darpana" IDEA Dance Festival 1999.

* Asha continues to create and experiment, using her long experience in the field of dance. She has has produced and directed dance productions using various styles of Indian dance. These are "Awakening – The story of Creation Of Universe" a production comparing the theories of modern Physics and the ancient Hindu texts, "Colors of India", "Raj Darbar" dances from the royal courts of India, and "Urvashi" the love story of the celestial dancer and the mortal king Pururuvas.

*Her productions "Panch Bhut: Elements of Nature" and "Taal: Life Rhythms" were funded by Arlington County and presented at the Dance Festival of India 2003 and 2005.

*She received the Kennededy Center Local Dance Commissioning Project Award for 2006 for her production Gul-E-Bakawali, a collaborative venture using Kathak, Persian and Egyptian dance styles. The production was premiered at the Millennium Stage in September 2006.

Jayantee Paine-Ganguly learned the basics of Indian dance art from her first teacher, her mother, at the age of four. Her formal training of classical dances in the Kathak, and Odissi styles are from prominent teachers residing in India. Jayantee holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and a Master's Degree in Performing Arts/Dance from American University, Washington, D.C. Jayantee has been a professional performer since 1977 and began teaching Indian dance art in the Washington area since 1982. Her two schools in Virginia and Maryland named KONARK DANCE SCHOOL, USA, provides education through dance, movement, drama, and music to American and Indian-American men, women, and children. The dance training also prepares students for formal stage performances, lectures, and demonstrations in the Washington Area as well as exchange programs with teachers and artists in India.

Jayantee teaches children from the ages of 3 to 45 at her school. Apart from the many Indian social, political and religious community related projects, her teaching experience include working with seniors at the Reston Senior Center in Reston, Virginia and in private home settings to teach therapy through dance to seniors from age 65 to 80. She taught Indian dance movements and gestures to a drama class in Shepard College, West Virginia, for a special stage presentation and to the members of �Ancient Mask�, a drama group in New York. She taught master classes to women at the Museum of Women in the Arts and students of American University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Jayantee is a regular guest lecturer for language classes at the State Department Foreign Language Institute, which prepares American diplomats t o be stationed in India. She has worked with as many as thirty dancers and musicians together to choreograph dances for projects at the Kennedy Center, Baltimore Convention Center, the Gandhi Center, local auditoriums, and out of state Conventions. Her students participate in professional dance programs, conventions and competitions in the Washington area. She is a board member of the Indian Dance Educator's Association (IDEA). She is a well known performing artist of Indian classical and non-classical dances in the Washington Area. For more information contact Jayantee Paine-Ganguly, Director, KONARK Dance School, USA at (301) 860-1144 or jayanteep@hotmail.com.

Christel Stevens is a scholar, performer, and teacher of dances from India. She holds a Master's Degree in Dance from the American University in Washington, D.C., specializing in Bharata Natyam and Manipuri classical dances of India. Christel learned Bharata Natyam at Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts under full scholarship from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. Later, she returned to India to live in New Delhi, studying Manipuri dance under Nabaghana Shyam Singha, Guru Bipin Singh, and Ojha Th. Babu Singh. She also continued her Bharata Natyam studies at Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra under Padma Shree Km. Leela Samson. Christel has visited Manipur several times for research and training in Manipuri dance. She was awarded a Visharad degree in dance by Sri Sri Govindajee Nartanalaya, now Manipur State Dance College, under Principal Guru S. Thambaltombi Devi, daughter and disciple of Sarangthem Guru Meitei Tomba. In 1996, Christel returned to India with colleagues Lori Clark and Dr. Naima Prevots of American University to conduct the study, "Images of Women in Indian Dance, Sacred and Profane," funded by the Smithsonian Institution Foreign Currency Program.