Punchali is a student, performer, and instructor of dance. Since the age of 4, Punchali has been training in various forms of Indian dance including Bharat Natyam, Odissi, Kathak, folk and Bollywood. Punchali’s dance career began in Kenya when her parents enrolled her in Kathak classes under the guidance of Umadevi. There she participated in dance dramas, including playing the role of child Bharat in the dance drama Shakuntala. After moving to America, she began her training in Bharat Natyam with Ambika Sukumaran and after completing her rigorous training she performed her Arangetram. At the same time, she was also training with Smita Miki Patel and was performing folk, semi-classical, and Bollywood dances. As a part of Team Utsav, Punchali and her group won first place in Naya Andaz dance competition twice. Punchali’s passion for dance continued to grow as she performed in elite shows such as Bollywood Movie Awards, Atlantic City Holi Celebration, South Street Seaport Diwali Mela, FOGANA – just to name a few. She has also taken Ballet, Modern Dance, and Acting classes at the Mason Gross School of the Arts.
In 2004 she was introduced to Odissi and was mesmerized by the graceful dance form. She then joined Nayikas, an Indian Odissi Dance Theater Company in New York City with Myna Mukherjee, where she began her training in Odissi followed by numerous stage performances. After falling in love with the new dance style, Punchali decided to leave advertising and go to India to train full-time with Jhelum Paranjape to extend her knowledge of Odissi. There, after much dedication and hard work through daily training, she performed her Manch Pravesh. During her stay in India, she also had the pleasure of learning with Bollywood’s own Saroj Khan where she learned the tricks of the trade and also re-introduced herself to Kathak under the guidance of Bollywood Kathak dancer and choreographer, Rani Khan.
Punchali has also trained at the Terence Lewis Contemporary School of Dance and toured the US with Terence Lewis in September 2010.
Punchali has been extremely fortunate to train with prominent teachers in 3 continents, each renowned for their expertise in a particular dance form. Punchali’s gurus have truly been a great source of inspiration for her over the years. She is thankful for their time and extensive training and aspires to instill the same grace and ethic in her own students. While she appreciates the complexity and purity of each individual dance form she has trained in, Punchali has fused them to create her own eclectic style, which creates the essence of Moksha Arts.
