Nitya Venkateswaran, born and raised in California, U.S.A, has been immersed in the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam for the past 29 years. She has trained with Vishal Ramani, Artistic Director of Shri Krupa Dance Company, San Jose, CA, since 1980 and performed her arangetram, or solo dance debut in 1985.

Nitya is known for her dynamic stage presence, exacting footwork and soulful rendering the musical content of Bharatanatyam. She is one of the very few second generation Indian Americans to pursue Bharatanatyam as a career and has performed extensively as a soloist for the past 10 years. Nitya embarked on a solo performance career in Chennai, India in December 2001 during the “Season” a 2 month long festival in Chennai where about over 300 music and dance concerts are held. She has visited India three times and performed in prestigious festivals and venues in India including Kartik Fine Arts, Mylapore Fine Arts, Bangalore's Gayana Samaja and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in Delhi. She premiered a thematic tribute to the late Bharat Ratna Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Inaugural concert for Mylapore Fine Arts in 2005 and performed at the prestigious Natyanjali Festivals at the Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur and Sri Kumbeswarar temple in Kumbakonam during their Shivarathri celebrations in February 2006. While in India, Nitya further enhances her understanding and mastery of the art form by studying Tamil, Sanskrit, music and nattuvangam.

Nitya displayed a love for dance and an innate understanding of complex rhythmic patterns at an early age. She quickly picked up the intricacies of Bharatanatyam and performed her dance debut (arangetram) with her sister, Swapna, after only 5 years of training. Under the continued tutelage of Smt. Ramani, Nitya has performed in the San Francisco Bay Area as a soloist and with the Shri Krupa Dance Company.

Nitya performs on a regular basis, in community festivals and 2 hour solo shows. She presented her own choreography in a traditional Bharatanatyam margam titled "Legacy of Love", a culmination of her choreography apprenticeship under her Guru, Mrs. Vishal Ramani, supported by the Alliance of California Traditional Arts’ Apprenticeship Program in partnership with the James Irvine Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation. Nitya was selected to be a soloist in the prestigious 27^th Annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival in June of 2005 where she was awarded a choreography commission by the San Francisco Foundation. Her solo sold-out performance at the ODC theater in January 2005 was reviewed by Bay Area Dance critic Mary Ellen Hunt. Nitya was a former Artist in Residence at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and her work was presented at the APA Heritage Festival in May 2007.

A a lover of all dance forms, Nitya has also studied Modern/Graham technique at UC Berkeley and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Flamenco in the Bay Area and Sevilla, Spain. Nitya’s true passion, however, lies with Bharatanatyam where she is able to experience joy and deepen her spirituality. She is forever indebted to her Guru for her constant guidance, enthusiasm and inspiration.

Currently a graduate student at the University of Washington, Seattle in Education Policy, Nitya continues to perform in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.