Live Orchestra

The Artists

Live music, rhythm, and lineage for the arangetram.

The arangetram comes alive through the conversation between dancer, guru, voice, melody, and rhythm. We are grateful to the artists whose live music supports Shreya and Shriya on stage.

Guru · Voice · Nattuvangam · Mridangam · Violin · Flute · Rhythm

International concert stages

Artists in this ensemble have performed across major halls, festivals, and cultural platforms.

Classical dance fluency

The team understands Bharatanatyam as a live conversation, not simply a musical recital.

Lineage and range

Carnatic training, percussion depth, melodic refinement, and contemporary versatility come together.

Portrait pending

Guru / Nattuvangam

Smt. Jaynti Seshan

Founder of Apsaras Dance Company and the artistic guide for this arangetram.

Jaynti Akka shapes the evening from within the tradition: as guru, choreographer, conductor, and the steady rhythmic presence of nattuvangam. Her teaching is the foundation on which Shreya and Shriya step onto the stage.

Read more about Jaynti Akka
Portrait pending

Vocalist

Shri Nandakumar Unnikrishnan

A sought-after Carnatic vocalist for Bharatanatyam, with extensive arangetram and dance-performance experience worldwide.

In a Bharatanatyam Margam, the vocalist carries the inner voice of the dance: devotion, longing, playfulness, prayer, and dramatic turning points. His singing gives the dancers both musical structure and emotional atmosphere.

Visit Nandakumar Unnikrishnan on YouTube
Portrait pending

Mridangam / Percussion

Shri Karthik Vydhatri

A versatile Carnatic percussionist trained in mridangam and multi-percussion traditions.

For dance, percussion is not background rhythm. It is dialogue. The mridangam listens to the dancers’ feet, answers the nattuvangam, and gives the performance its muscular lift, precision, and drive.

Portrait pending

Violin

Smt. Sushmitha Ravikumar

Carnatic vocalist and violinist, featured in IndianRaga productions reaching millions of viewers.

The violin threads melody through the performance, holding continuity between lyric, gesture, and emotion. In expressive passages, it can soften the room; in rhythmic passages, it can sharpen the energy of the ensemble.

Visit Sushmitha Ravikumar
Portrait pending

Flute

Shri Ravichandra Kulur

Internationally acclaimed flautist with 1,200+ concerts across 34 countries and major global stages.

His flute brings breath, color, and lyricism to the sound world of the evening. It is especially powerful in moments of devotion, nature imagery, and stillness, where a single phrase can open the story outward.

Visit Ravichandra Kulur artist bio
Portrait pending

Rhythm Pads / Drums / Percussion

Shri B. S. Arun Kumar

A percussionist whose work spans Carnatic rhythm, jazz drumming, folk percussion, and contemporary ensemble sound.

His rhythmic vocabulary expands the ensemble’s texture while staying rooted in classical timing. For an arangetram shaped by Samanvaya, that range matters: tradition remains the core, but the sound can breathe with modern energy.

Visit B. S. Arun Kumar artist bio

For Guests New To The Form

How The Orchestra Works

Vocal

Carries the lyrics, melody, and emotional arc of the composition.

Nattuvangam

Conducts rhythm with cymbals and spoken syllables, guiding dancer and orchestra.

Mridangam / Percussion

Anchors tala and converses with the dancers’ footwork.

Violin and Flute

Add melodic color, breath, and continuity between song and movement.

Rhythm Pads / Drums

Add layered rhythmic texture where the repertoire calls for it.