Smt. Jayashree Narayanan

The Salangai Cultural Academy was founded in the year 1980 by Smt. Jayashree Narayanan along with Maya Chandrasekar and Shanthi Gopalakrishnan. It is the only prestigious dance school in Pondicherry that teaches Bharathnatyam in a systematic way. The students of the institution have been performing from 1980's and delivered many successful programmes in and around the city. The institution conducted its first arangetram of two girls in the year 1987 and have been nurturing the students with nuances of Bharathnatyam which has made them spread across the globe. The dance production of "Vana Mahotsavam", devoid of lyrics insists on afforestation and water conservation. It had a very good reception and was staged at Singapore's Baskara's instituition with 60 students. The institution produces many solo dance pieces and dance drama productions. Short-term courses are handled for students from abroad. Seminars, workshops and classroom presentations are regularly conducted every three months enabling the parents to view the progress of children and for the children to gain performing skills at a homely ambience. This actually helps the students to get rid of stage fear and face the audience with confidence. The students of the institute hold many scholarships, awards and national level prizes. They are also taught nattuvangam and to do their own make-up.