Chaitasi Naik

Chaitasi started learning the art of Bharatnatyam at the age of five at Nruti dance class in Ahmedabad, India.  She continued to learn until she was eight, when she along with her family, moved to USA. After a break of 2 years, she continued her dance in the US under the able tutorship of Ms. Jyothsna Sainath. About a year after Chaitasi started lessons with Ms. Sainath, she learned that Ms Sainath had to move away.  Thankfully, Ms. Jyothsna introduced Guru Prasanna to Chaitasi before moving away.  Since then, Chaitasi has continued her training under the tutelage of Guru Prasanna Kasthuri.

 Chaitasi has performed in many dance performances including Rainbow II (Production of Soorya Performing arts), fall festival in Jefferson City and Columbia, and a multi cultural festival organized by state government in Jefferson City. She has been enthusiastically involved in performing other folk styles of Indian dances as well. Chaitasi’s interests extend beyond dance.  She is an able artist who loves to draw and paint. She has won several prizes for her art work including second place for the JCHS annual sketch day in 9^th grade.  She is also an amateur pianist.  She has received a gold cup for her Festival performances and has performed solos and concertos for various churches in Jefferson City. Chaitasi has earned her black belt from American Tai Kwondo Federation.

 Chaitasi received the President’s Award for Excellence while graduating from the Middle school. She has been involved in various activities at JCHS including the Medical, Ambassadors and Art club.  Chaitasi also is a member of the National Honor Roll and is the president of National Junior Art Honor Society.  In addition to this, she is also involved with local community activities including volunteering at Capital Region Medical Center, Jefferson City. In the fall, she will be a senior at Jefferson City High School.

For Chaitasi, Bharatnatyam was never just an extracurricular activity; it was a field in which she could freely express her artistic talents.  For Chaitasi, Bharatnatyam was a bridge connecting her Indian Heritage with her new American future.