Anandini Chandra Sekhar, the youngest daughter of Sudha Chandra Sekhar, has been learning the intricacies of Bharata Natyam from a very young age, and performing professionally since the age of two. She gained a solid reputation for Bharata Natyam, folk and film dance choreography during her high school and college years.

In addition to Bharata Natyam, Anandini has also studied ballet, tap dance, jazz, modern, musical theatre, African dance and Flamenco. She studied under Roberta Campion during high school, and was under the tutelage of Naima Prevots, Anne Donahue, Biza Sompa, Jessica Fogel and Robin Wilson during her college years. Anandini studied ballet with Rose Marie Floyd's studio in Royal Oak, as well as continuing her Bharata Natyam training with Sudha Chandra Sekhar after graduating from college.

At the age of 12, Anandini began playing keyboards and singing back-up vocals along with her sister, Anjali, in ISHARA, the band started by her oldest sister, Vidya Chandra Sekhar. The group gained immense popularity in the Midwest and Northeast during the 1990s. Her original music compositions served as the score for the dance-drama “The Lotus and the Dawn” (penned by Rishikavi Raghudas and performed at the Parliament of World Religions in 1993). During her college studies, Anandini took up singing as a lead vocalist for Hindi film bands such as Desi Jam of North Carolina, Umang of Metro Detroit and, on occasion, for Ishara.

She also began the Miss India Michigan pageant in 1996 and served as Regional Director for the India Festival Committee until 2001. From there, she began assisting in the organization of the national Miss India USA and Miss Tamil USA pageants.

After graduating from University of Michigan in May of 1999, Anandini took on the role of HINDU TEMPLE RHYTHMS' Performance and Project Coordinator. Some of her major accomplishments in this capacity were the organization of the 1999 performance of Recognition Night, the 2000 performances of Tandav V, the 2000 Ramanavami drama "Sita Swayamvaram," and "Janmotsavam: 60 Years of Life, Love, and Dance" (the 60th birthday celebration of Sudha Chandra Sekhar's lifetime dedication to the Art) in October of 2000. She also began teaching private and small group classes around the Metro Detroit area, and publishing the HTR newsletter "Echoes." In addition to that, she co-founded an organization named "SAADHANAI" at University of Michigan, which seeks to preserve and promote traditional art forms by bringing master teachers to the university campus to teach interested students in intensive seminars. In 2002, she was honored to perform along with her mother and eight other Vidyanjali Dancers in the Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of the French opera “Lakme.”

Anandini spent several years in Chicago, Illinois, where she remained involved in HTR productions and continued teaching group and private classes. She also co-founded RASA DANCE COMPANY along with friends Shalini Ravindran and Aparna Srinivasan. Since its inception in 2004, the Company has been dedicated to presenting tradition and innovation as taught by the great masters of the Bharata Natyam art. Rasa Dance Company has performed for various organizations in Chicagoland, including the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Chicago Tamil Sangam, The Balaji Temple, the International Ramayana Institute and the LakeShore Healthcare Senior Center.  They were also invited to represent the Indian community in Shreveport, Louisiana for the Red Revel Festival in October 2004, and were featured in the “Shivaaraadhana” performance by Hindu Temple Rhythms in March 2005 at The Bharatiya Temple in Troy, Michigan. As the Rasa Dance Company grows in recognition, the dancers continually dedicate their performances to their beloved Gurus: Smt. Sudha Chandrasekhar, Smt. Chitra Vishweshwaran, Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai and Guru Kalyanasundaram Pillai.

In 2006, Anandini and Shalini were featured in Sanskriti Foundation’s production of “Suryakantha,” conceived and choreographed by Shoba Natarajan. Anandini was selected to play the role of “Autumn” in the ballet, which premiered in Naperville, Illinois.

Anandini currently lives in New York City. In addition to her career in marketing, she continues to dedicate herself to the arts. She is studying music under Smt. Nivedita Shivraj, and has performed dance under the banner of the RagaChitra Foundation. Her main goal in life is to establish a Center for Cultural and Performing Arts, a center which will house HTR's classes, workshops and performances. Anandini aspires to one day dedicate this building to her mother's lifetime of devotion to the art of Bharata Natyam

To contact Anandini Sekhar and inquire about dance classes in the New York City metro area, or to book a performance by Rasa Dance Company, please email anandini77@hotmail.com.