Joyce Paul-Siamak

Dancer, choreographer & Anthropologist Joyce Paul Siamak, has been creating movement for the stage and street theatre since 1986. Born in New Delhi, India and now a native of Redmond, WA, Joyce began her dancing career inspired by the dancers of Bharatiya Kala Kendra as they played the epic story of Ramlila. She joined the institute to learn Bharatanatyam under the direction of the renowned Leela Samson in 1986, completed her “Arangetram” in 1992 and continued to perform for productions with her guru.

Her choreographic career started blooming in 1986 when she co-founded Abhivyakti Karya Shala, a grass roots performing arts organization that sought to bring social change with dance, music and theatre. All the while Joyce continued to learn and dabble with other arts forms such as Carnatic vocal, Chhau, Odissi and Mohiniyattam. She spent time honing her skill with stalwarts such as Prof C.V. Chandrashekhar, A. Janardhanan and Kalamandalam Gopi.

The unique quality of Joyce’s work is her ability to stay within the definition of classical dance while pushing boundaries and exploring non-traditional themes and contexts. Her work also tends to gravitate towards social problems and women’s issues. Her choreographic works include acclaimed works such as Kalaprayanam, Laya Samvaad, Ecclesiastes Reworked, Guru Ashtakam, Shanthala Varnam, Maand and Mother Mary Thillana amongst others.

Along with teaching and running her own company, Arpan, she is also faculty at the Spectrum Dance Theatre teaching the select Academy students and choreographing for their annual Academy shows. Joyce occasionally teaches master classes at the Universities and dance companies. She is a published author for dance medicine and Anthropology journals. She is currently working on a book with Human Kinetics.

Joyce hopes to achieve the following with this production:

1. Instill the idea among viewers that if we were to make an effort to take off the coloured glasses that direct our opinions and actions, then our transformed snapshot of life would enable us to honor other people’s perspectives thereby creating more tolerance, patience and love all around.
2. Be an inspiration to all those who are suffer from chronic ailments. Show them that if their passion for the arts is strong enough, they can still cause social change through their art even if they may not conform to “normal’’ standards of performance.

Meera Krishna

A Carnatic classical singer and Bharatanatyam dancer, Meera immensely enjoys practicing and honing her twin passions in the field of fine arts. She was trained in music by her mother Smt. RadhaKrishna and in Bharatanatyam by PadmaVibhushan Smt. Sonal Mansingh. Along with the rigor of their training, both her gurus imparted to Meera a strong desire to nurture and propagate their art forms, and she continues in their footsteps today training a small number of committed students. Meera’s other interests include hiking, mountaineering, yoga, healthy living and learning about different cultures. Her favorite interest though is raising her son Rasan and spending quality time with her husband Neelesh. These pillars in her life support her in all her avatars and help her be a better person.

Meera is happy to work on YAVANIKA with her longtime friend and dance colleague Joyce whose choreographic works Meera greatly admires. They have collaborated frequently in the past - performing together, creating new works for which Meera scored the music while Joyce choreographed the dance, and supported each other through the ebb and flow of life J. YAVANIKA brings together their collaborative energies and a strong desire for artistic excellence to create an impactful dance offering – one that builds on their strong training and pushes its boundaries some to bring a groundbreaking contemporary theme to life.

Fun fact: Meera always exclaims “Krishna!” when jolted by sudden noises or movement which never fails to bring on the giggles in practices J.

Tanvee Kale

I create code for Microsoft, choreograph dances for Pratidhwani ( or for whoever wants me to ) , express emotions, in life ! So while I work as a software engineer - code compiling and executing as expected or so I hope, my alter ego is in love with drama, dance and theater - the sound of ghungroos and audience applause being my life's most prized moments. I stepped on stage for the first time when I was two and a half years old and since then, have been an ardent devotee of it, both off and on.

I am a trained classical Bharatanatyam dancer and that naturally gravitated me to gain knowledge of any and all Bharatanatyam dance teachers in the Greater Seattle area, Joyce being one of the most talked about. However I did not get a chance to actually dance or perform with her. Thankfully Yavanika happened, and here I am, dancing along side her.

If anyone were to ask me - Why Yavanika, my answer would be extremely simple - Because I believe in Joyce, and especially in her firm belief in Yavanika, it being conceptualized and given form and shape from her own personal experiences. With such a strong background to the story and when it is that personal, a belief in the creator is all we need to believe in the concept. And that's why "Yavanika".

Each show I do, each production I am part of, each theatrical activity I participate in - be it dance or drama, has an impact on my life and changes me subtly or dramatically - but changes me for sure. However, I am never able to figure out what effect a production has had on me till after it is done and I introspect. Introspection at that point in time is my closest friend - a process I involve myself in after every show. So how and in which way Yavanika has impacted me - I will know only after I am done with the whole process. Rest assured, I am having an extremely fun and awesome time being part of Yavanika! :)

Prashanti Chitr

Prashanthi – a dancer and dreamer by heart, a teacher and choreographer by profession, has enthralled and entertained the Seattle audience with her creativity and artistic abilities for the past 15 years. She started as a Kuchipudi dancer under the guidance of her Guru Smt.Vasundhara and in later years by Guru Sri Pasumarthy Venkateswara Sarma, but her passion for the art led her to explore dance forms from around the world from classical to folk, from traditional to contemporary, and from Bollywood to Western making her a choreographer with versatile skills. Prashanthi believes in giving back to the world through the gift of art that she feels very grateful for. Her dream to make a difference in the world led her to direct several dance productions successfully all while raising funds to fulfill the dreams of underprivileged children around the globe. She currently runs her dance institute PCIPA (Prashanthi Chitre, Institute of Performing Arts) training several students every year while working on her extended mission to use the gift of art to empower people with disabilities. Over the years she has had an amazing journey from a dancer to a choreographer to a teacher.

Prashanthi: “Having not performed outside my own productions for past several years, Yavanika came as an unique opportunity to work with a talented group while solely focusing on dancing. Although I have not worked with Joyce and Meera before, I have always observed and admired their passion and dedication towards dance. Being a firm believer in the law of the universe that there are no coincidences, I jumped in to work with this talented duo and add another wonderful experience to my journey.

In Yavanika I play one of the Elements of life that poses challenges in the lives of two women with different perspectives played by Joyce Paul and Meera Krishna. I believe life is a reflection of our own perceptions and the views and opinions we harbor are the prism through which we selectively choose to experience it. Yavanika, as created by Joyce and Meera, resonates with this belief. I am immensely pleased and grateful to have this opportunity to support and be part of this creative production.”

Meera Srinivasan

I’m Meera and I’m a junior at Interlake High School, currently pursuing my 2nd Diploma program. Dance has been an integral part of my life; I have been learning Bharatanatyam for over ten years with Joyce Akka. Joyce Akka has not only taught me the technical aspects of Bharatanatyam, but also the deeper, subtler aspects – for instance, how to interpret a complex piece of poetry and emotionally express it, or how to choreograph a challenging concept. What I most appreciate about her is her ability to make age-old traditions and concepts that sometimes, can seem a little ancient, very relevant, whether that be through making Harry Potter analogies or hanging up a picture of Zach Efron in class.

This – Joyce Akka’s ability to present concepts in a contemporary fashion – is what propelled me to sign up for Yavanika. Initially, I was intrigued by the idea of two strikingly different personalities navigating obstacles in life and overcoming them in their own ways; I have seen many instances of this in my own life and was curious to see how Joyce Aunty and Meera Aunty would portray such an abstract concept through dance. Now, with each rehearsal, I feel truly privileged to witness Joyce Aunty and Meera Aunty choreographing Yavanika and never cease to be amazed with the unique formations and movements they craft. Yavanika is an experience that is definitely broadening my perspectives and making me realize that there is so much more to life than what I am normally accustomed to perceiving.

Other than dance, I enjoy baking, sleeping (which I don’t get to do much J), and staring out windows on rainy days (there’s something very magical about the pitter-patter of Seattle rain!).

Gayatri Shandar

Gayatri Shandar is a local artiste from From Within Academy and has been dancing for nine years. Upon completing her arangetram in 2012, she has performed around the community including productions from her dance school. She is one of the element of life (EOL) dancers in Yavanika and connects with Joyce Maasi’s strive for excellence. Gayatri is intrigued in the concept of Yavanika and wanted to expand her performances to productions with contemporary themes. She loves Yavanika because it relates to audiences yet it is a unique expression of its creators: Joyce Maasi and Meera Maasi. She comments on the experience “This production has led me to see that creativity is limitless and that solid foundations are key to the success of contemporary works.”

Gayatri is a freshman at Interlake High School and is a member of Interlake’s DECA and Debate teams. In her free time, she loves to dance, listen to music, and watch Bollywood movies.

Nivedita Potapragada

I have been dancing for more than ten years, and with Joyce Mausi for the last three. While I have enjoyed learning Bharatanatyam from amazing dancers and teachers, Joyce Mausi’s style is something very unique – she takes the time to explain the importance of every bend, every step, and every stretch. As a dancer, this helps me to visualize and understand why we move a certain way, or do a certain step, which allows me to both dance better and even to try and choreograph my own movements.

For this same reason, I believe in Joyce Mausi’s vision and her style of portraying the veiled perspectives in Yavanika. To me, Yavanika is special not only because of the very contemporary idea, but also because of the new choreography and compositions. Joyce Mausi has included several different types of classical dances, some which I have never heard of, which have allowed me to diversify and grow as a dancer.

As a student, I learned more about Yavanika and the idea behind it, and was drawn to the elements of life – the unstoppable, mystical events that unfold in the two characters’ lives. Acting as something so abstract is something I have never had experience with. I am really excited to be a part of Yavanika, and I hope be a good element of life :)

Prajakta Purohit

Coding for Chef Software, apart from all other wonderful things has also given Prajakta Purohit the opportunity to reconnect with dance. She found out about Guru Joyce Paul Siamak (whom she fondly calls Joyce Didi) and Arpan through one of her colleagues and is onto the wonderful Bharatanatyam journey again.

Prajakta took lessons under the guidance of Smt. Swati Guha Dey in India learning Bharatanatyam and Uday Shankar dance style. She has also performed on several occasions under the Nritta Sudha banner.

Prajakta is very thankful to Joyce Didi for letting her be a part of Yavanika as an understudy and has not been able to contain her excitement since she was promoted to company dancer.

She feels Yavanika is an opportunity to see with extremely creative and talented minds, knows it opens a window to introspection and believes Yavanika is us receiving from and responding to life.

Ria Punukollu

I have been learning dance for two years from Meera Krishna. I am excited to be working with the group, and getting to participate in Yavanika

Patty Leverett

Ms. Patty Leverett has a lifelong connection to music and dance, born of an artistic mother and musical father. Since 1986, when she first saw Argentine Tango on stage in the original Broadway "Tango Argentino", Ms Leverett has focused her studies and sharing on Argentine Tango, Milonga and Vals. Tango ranges from sweetly sensitive to deeply passionate, but the iconic image focuses on romance and longing - longing for the love that was lost or longing for the love which never was... Patty teaches ongoing weekly classes and private lessons at DanceWorks Studio in Redmond. Her partner in this concert is the elegant Mr. Ken Brown, also of greater Seattle's Tango community.

Aarthi Narasimhan

Aarthi Narasimhan is a part-time teacher, a part-time designer and a full-time mom. She loves to design and creates beaded-jewelry with a focus on simplicity and elegance as her design mantra. She is passionate about colors and architecture. Her major design inspirations come from temples from all around the world and especially South India. She grew up in Chennai, India and lives in Redmond, WA with her husband and 2 kids and her daughter Amrita, has been learning dance from Joyce for the past few years. Aarthi is very excited and happy to be a part of the costume team in Yavanika where she is working on adorning the dancer's costumes with designs using different mediums such as dimensional paint and duck tape. She was drawn instantly to the enigmatic theory of Yavanika, the veiled perspectives, and that propelled her to sign up for it. Its been a nourishing experience to be working with other artists and the synergy is amazing and has a very positive effect on her creativity.

Bhavana Sethu Lakshmi

Hi! I'm Bhavana. Creative to the core with boundless imagination, I think I took experimentation rather too seriously..I'm a researcher! Art to me is a fun way to express and rejuvenate myself, be it with vibrant colors, swaying with music or singing my heart out. Its an experiment to discover myself and a medium to share my perspective on life.

I was introduced to Yavanika through my friend Dharini. We had to work together on a rangoli for Yavanika. And yes, it was exciting..merging traditional art with unconventional style.

Dharini Vasudevan

Hi! I'm Dharini - a creative/ creativity enthusiast, nature lover and a poet by heart! Art to me is not just a bundle of talent/ skills, it is a medium of expression and a tool to heal , inspire and evolve in life - a way of life!

I got to know about Yavanika through an artist friend of mine who is also participating in the show - Rashmi. I was intrigued and drawn to the concept of Yavanika - veiled perspectives. And when I got an opportunity to be a part of a 'Creative Project' I was excited! We ( myself and Bhavana) worked on the foyer design, and thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating a unique piece of rangoli art.

Maya Subramaniam

Maya and Maya’s mom, Meena, love creating beautiful things, and haven’t yet come across an art or a craft that they don’t like. Whether it is designing jewelry, trying out a new recipe, or making scrapbooks, they are drawn to it, almost to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. This is the their first time making costumes for a major production and they love the challenge and opportunity to contribute to something wonderful that will touch many, many people. Rumor has it that Maya did the talking, signing up, and scheduling, and it is really Meena that created each and every costume, and well, without a doubt, it is entirely true. The sewing machine is like a magic wand for Meena, and she has been unleashing her creativity for years, dressing up her daughters, family, and now, her little granddaughters.

Meena Subramaniam

Maya and Maya’s mom, Meena, love creating beautiful things, and haven’t yet come across an art or a craft that they don’t like. Whether it is designing jewelry, trying out a new recipe, or making scrapbooks, they are drawn to it, almost to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. This is the their first time making costumes for a major production and they love the challenge and opportunity to contribute to something wonderful that will touch many, many people. Rumor has it that Maya did the talking, signing up, and scheduling, and it is really Meena that created each and every costume, and well, without a doubt, it is entirely true. The sewing machine is like a magic wand for Meena, and she has been unleashing her creativity for years, dressing up her daughters, family, and now, her little granddaughters.

Menka Soni

As founder of Ravishing Marketplace and working on concept of promoting & encouraging women entrepreneurs & artists I came across Joyce Paul and her concept of Yavanika. The whole concept is really dynamic and I was highly impressed with her deep thoughts put into making of Yavanika. I told Joyce that she is like an incense stick that is just spreading fragrance of joy around with her slow & silent spark of energy.

I am also designing costumes for the lead characters of Yavanika and we had long discussions to come up the right design to match with the characters. I felt as if I know the character much better after working with Joyce on the designs. She has an eye for details and with every cut, every stitch and every color combination we discussed it was tied to the character on the stage. After long hours of discussion and drawings put together by Joyce we finally came up with the designs that are going to showcase the theme very well on the stage. I have designed so many costumes so far, but designing for Yavanika crew along with Joyce is a memorable experience. I have learnt a lot and I am looking forward to see the lead characters with Ravishing costumes on the stage.

Murali Pavithran Vasudevan

Murali Pavithran (aka Murali Manohar as Joyce puts it) wears the musical hat for Yavanika. He is the music composer and director for Yavanika while also being a regular violinist for Arpan. His connection with Joyce was made through a mutual friend Paulomi Pandit in LA while Joyce was researching violinists in 2010 for an upcoming Arpan arangetram.

Murali had the good fortune of being tuned to the scales of South Indian Classical music since his birth. His mother and all 4 sisters learnt music and there were a myriad of instruments in the house ranging from sitar to tanpuras to mridangam, ghatam, kanjeera, veena, violin. He started his violin lessons at the age of 9 from Poosarla Manorama and later came under the tutelage of Peri Sri Rama Murthy. He obtained his certificate & diploma with honors distinction in violin from SBR Govt. College of Music and Dance, Hyderabad.

He won Kalasagaram 3 years in a row and is also the recipient of the Govt. of India scholarship for excellence in music (Violin) for 7 years from 1993-2000.

He has learnt vocal music from Sri. Kollegal R Subramanyam (Hyderabad) and Smt. T R Balamani (Mumbai). He has also taken advance training from Shri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan. Murali received the Best Violinist Award from Parthasarathy Swami Sabha and often features in the chennai music season both as a vocalist and violinist.

Working with semi classical, light, western classical, fusion vocal and instrumental music at IIT Bombay, he ended up as the music director for 3 years at the theatrical productions at the Performing Arts Festival in IIT and he was a founding member of the fusion band in IIT.

He holds a sound engineering diploma and composes music in classical and contemporary genres. Murali is a graduate of IIT Bombay and UCLA. He currently works as the Director of Business Intelligence and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Yavanika - I believe everyone has two (or more) sides to their persona. Yavanika brings out this nature very well and I am able to liken it to real life and therefore appreciate the effort. When Joyce asked me to explore the aspects of music direction for Yavanika, I was excited and thought it would definitely broaden my artistic horizons and bring me back to my undergraduate days in IIT when I composed and directed music.

Niranjan Balachandran

Niranjan, who currently is a resident of Mumbai, India, has dabbled with aspects of music composition, production and programming for a few years now. He has composed and produced tracks for the dance group 'Jhumoor' (which was an Indian classical dance group based out of Baltimore during the years 2005-2008), and has collaborated with Murali Pavithran Vasudevan on a few projects over the past three years. He prefers to work on contemporizing Indian classical music styles by infusing it with western idioms from classical, rock and jazz genres. Niranjan is a self taught musician who loves all genres ranging from Carnatic, Hindustani, Western Classical, Rock, Jazz, and last but not least, Maestro Ilaiyaraaja!

"The theme of 'Yavanika' had enough elements of abstraction and also a range of emotions that was going to make working on it an exciting prospect. Murali and I have worked together earlier on some other projects, and we know our musical sensibilities very well. It was great getting back to working with Murali after a hiatus of about 2 years."

Rashmi Thirtha

I am a mystic and a clairvoyant awakening to the artist, healer and creator in the Self and every being that crosses my path in this lifetime. I met Joyce through a friend and connected to the artist and the creator in her and thus unfolded the journey of creating art for Yavanika.

Energy healing and colors fascinate me. The day I stood in front of a blank canvas, I realized that I could easily express energy through color and shapes, than through words. This led me to explore the possibility of intentional healing through creative expression which unfolded the story of Courageous Blossoming, a sacred space where healing meets art and storytelling. I support women to create and design their healing stories through movement, energy work and colors. I am blessed to be able to do this work I love. I am blessed to be a part of this journey with brave women who blossom courageously through joy and tears. I also cherish the blessing of a loving husband, amazing teachers and wonderful friends and family. Life is indeed beautiful. Look up for more of me and my work at https://courageousblossoming.wordpress.com/

Robert Franklin

Robert Franklin designed the lighting and stage managed for Yavanika. He was drawn to the piece because it lies at the intersection of his interest in narrative and visual arts, using the grace and simplicity of movement to engage in complex social discourse. Elsewhere, Robert has enjoyed work with the American Dance Festival, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Portland Stage Company, and New York Stage and Film. He recently graduated with a B.A. in Drama from Vassar College, and is currently the Lighting Design Intern at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Sean Kumar

Sean Kumar is a music producer/audio engineer and vocalist currently living in Southern California.

"Although I primarily work with Western music, I was excited to be immersed in the innovative Classical Indian music composed for Yavanika. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Murali, the music director. Congratulations to the whole team for putting together this feast for the eyes and ears!"

Shikha Jain

I'm Shikha, a student of life who thrives on learning new things and making new connections. I met Joyce recently at a common friend's place and had few nostalgic talks, wherein I learnt about her art, school and upcoming show.

I have a passion for art (music, dance, poetry, painting) - although to clarify, barring being a hobbyist photographer, I'm a living speci(wo)men to Ogden Nash's Confessions of a born spectator; IOW I have been good at watching performances and co-coordinating/volunteering at events. So when I read more about YAVANIKA, more I was drawn to it - an universal story essayed via traditional platform in contemporary form. And I wanted to contribute ! Reached out to Joyce and she found use for me :)

Now by way of profession, I currently play program manager role in technology space. So I will be bringing those PM skills and drive tasks/ schedules and various activities. I will be the alarm clock with a 1 sec snooze button ;) 

Vasantha Kumari Batchu

Vasantha Kumari Batchu has a Master's degree from Andhra University, India. She received her "Sangeetham Vidwan" degree from the Central College of Carnatic Music, Chennai, India. She specializes in vocal music, veena, keyboard and musicology. She has taught music at several institutions including the Thriveni Academy and CBSE schools in India. Vasantha teaches vocals, veena and keyboard in the carnatic music genre in Cerritos and Irvine.

Vidya Sekhar

I feel Yavanika marks an evolutionary shift for classical Indian dance from its earlier stage of dramatic storytelling of traditional epics, to a new phase - one of thoughtful, mature expression of experience and philosophy. I felt drawn to the dream from the very beginning, from the initial concept that Joyce and Meera discussed. With open hearts and mindfulness, this dedication to humanity by this team of beautiful artists became compelling. It was something I wanted to help bring to fruition in some small way. I am humbled and thilled to have the opportunity to lend my years of background and skills in makeup to adorn the artists who will bring the vision to life.

Anjulie Ganti

Anjulie began dancing at the age of 5 with Guru Smt. Vishal Ramani, founder and director of Shri Krupa Dance Company in San Jose, CA. Her dance training was temporarily paused just months before the planning for her Arrangetram, when her family moved to Bellevue, WA. Being one of very few Bharatanatyam dancers in the area, Anjulie performed widely through 2000 at many functions in the Puget Sound region. Sadly, her regular dance training ended in 1990 when she could no longer spend summers with her guru in San Jose.

In 1999, Anjulie graduated with BA degrees in Sociology and Social Work from UW and went on to become a massage therapist. Simultaneously, Anjulie worked for numerous women’s organizations advocating for reproductive justice. Anjulie continued her involvement with dance, as a producer and stage manager of numerous performing arts programs.

In 2002 Anjulie was blessed to meet Guru Joyce Paul Siamak, with whom she studied with before returning to graduate work in Social Work at the UW and Public Health at Columbia University. Currently, Anjulie is faculty at the University of Washington School of Social where she teaches in the Masters program and writes training curriculum for social workers. Anjulie is thrilled to be reunited with Guru Joyce Paul Siamak and Arpan Arts in her role to help produce Yavanika, Veiled Perspectives.

Anjulie lives in Ballard (Seattle) with her husband, Rahul Gupta and their two daughters Arundhati (6) and Ishani (2). Anjulie enjoys hanging with her family, knitting, pretending she can dance and being a "trouble-maker" for social justice.