In BAC’s Wellness Studio Blog, we invite you to share the passion we have for healing arts, and show how you can use featured Brooklyn traditions from our global diasporas to nurture and heal your body, community, and soul.
Today’s featured artist: Bharati Penneswaran
Bharathi has over 10 years of professional training in Bharatnatyam under Shri Justin McCarthy.
Her credentials include a Post diploma in Bharatanatyam and a Yoga Teachers Training Program certification from Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. She has been a part of several performances worldwide, the highlight of which has been her performance as the lead protagonist in an Indian National Award Winning documentary, O Friend, This Waiting, directed by Justin McCarthy & Sandhya Kumar, and screened in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, San Francisco & Paris. She has appeared in both solo and group performances such as the Dance Season & Drive East events of Navatman Dance Company in New York, the India Revival Group, showcasing Incredible India, in Montreal & Toronto, the Rukmani Devi Arundale Music and Dance Festival, the Sangeeth Natak Academy Awards and in several of Justin McCarthy’s Bharatnatyam Dance productions.
Her teaching experiences stem from a combination of working at some of the most prestigious institutions such as Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in New Delhi and Delhi Tamil Sangham.
We asked Bharathi how her practice helped to inform her views on what was possible for the healing of Brooklyn communities in the coming year:
“Since I've started this school Alokaam, I see there is a different kind of bond between all the parents, and they always come back to it, like I become like an overseer of Indian festivals, so they all come to me to look forward to. They jump into the opportunity, and they create a space for me. They create the space for themselves. And I think that it has strengthened the Indian community in Brooklyn.”
Cover Image: Aalokam Dance Company and School, founded by Bharati Penneswaran. Website
Aalokam Dance Company and School at SAIPAF. Bharati Penneswaran is the founder of Aalokam.