Punchali has been extremely fortunate to train with prominent teachers across 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. Her training began at the age of four in Nairobi, Kenya where she learned Kathak from Uma Devi. After moving to the USA, she shifted focus and began her journey into the world of Bharatanatyam, Folk and Bollywood dance. Punchali completed her Bharatanatyam Arangetram under the guidance of Guru Ambika Sukumaran in Central New Jersey. While continuing her classical training she also trained with Smita Miki Patel at India Performing Arts Center (IPAC) in folk and Bollywood and continued to dance and perform with IPAC post college. Smita Aunty continues to be her mentor even today.

After graduating from college, Punchali worked in advertising and publishing in NYC for 10 years. During this time, she continued her study of dance by training in Kathak with Parul Shah and Odissi with Myna Mukherji and Sonali Mishra. Punchali’s interest in the classical art form of Odissi grew deeper and she decided to leave the corporate world and move to Mumbai, India. Here, she trained with Guru Jhelum Paranjape of Smitalay, and completed her Manch Pravesh after a rigorous intense training program. While training in Odissi, she also worked with Saroj Khan (Bollywood and Kathak) and Terence Lewis (Indo-Contemporary) to extend her knowledge of dance with the celebrity gurus she admired for years.

Today, Punchali resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two young daughters and dedicates her time to spreading the love of Indian Dance to our youth. She teaches and manages Moksha Arts but also continues her study of bharatanatyam with Guru Sheela Ramanath in Herndon, VA.

Punchali is thankful for the extensive training all her gurus provided over the years 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 and her team enjoy fusing them to create their own eclectic style, which creates the essence of Moksha Arts.