GurU Smt. Padmaja Kelam
A consummate artist, a dancer par excellence, an acclaimed nattuvanar, a choreographer non-pareil and a gifted teacher are just a few of the accolades that aptly describe Smt. Padmaja Kelam, the Director of Kalaivani Dance and Music Academy. Guru Padmaja learned from Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan and has been teaching Bharatanatyam for over 30 years with 25 of those years in the United States. Guru Padmaja takes each and every student through an individualized “Margam” of sorts as she instills in them, through a blend of love and nurturance, an understanding of the exalted art form in its breathtaking glory, while imbuing a lifelong commitment to a spiritual journey that cannot be otherwise replicated. Her brilliant ability to juxtapose tradition and innovation is seen in every riveting masterpiece that she creates with loving and effortless detail with delicate nuances, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase “Poetry in motion”. Padmaja’s belief in every child being able to reach individualized pinnacles of perfection is embodied in her demand for perfection in the execution of mudras, adavus, bhedas and karanas while striving to build and hone endurance to perform flawlessly with utmost dedication and devotion. Her passion for perfection is reflected in her unique choreography as she weaves magic into the tapestry of every dance item that she brings to life through the remarkable renditions of her students. Under her tutelage, several students have been able to experience the beauty and divinity of their “Arangetrams”. Her 50th Arangetram in 2017 only served to project the many more that are yet to come. Guru Padmaja is indeed one of Atlanta’s artistic gems bestowing sheer joy and sublime delight in her students as they walk the paths of their dance “margams” with seamless eloquence and precision. And she ensures they enjoy and have fun every step of the way!
Guru Siddarth Kelam
Siddarth Kelam has been learning Bharatanatyam for over 20 years under the guidance of his parents Padmaja Kelam and Sudershan Kelam. In the beginning stages, Siddarth learned under his father’s guidance, then once moving to America, he continued under the tutelage of his mother
Padmaja Kelam. Siddarth has also attended workshops and trained under Sri. C.V. Chandrashekar, Smt. Vasundhara Doraiswarmy, Smt. Kalanidhi Narayan, Smt. Priyadarshini Govind, and lastly, Sri. Madurai R. Muralidharan. Furthermore, Siddarth has performed in many prestigious venues including Fox Theater, Atlanta Symphony Hall at the High Museum of Arts, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Nungambakkam Performing Arts in Chennai, India. He has also been given key roles in Shakthi Dance Company productions, directed by Viji and Mythili Prakash. Siddarth also performed at the collegiate level. He was the founder of Georgia’s first collegiate classical team, “GT Pulse”, and was also captain of the Bollywood Fusion team “Tufaan.” Siddarth is currently the co-director at the Kalaivani Academy in Atlanta where he teaches and assists with music composition as well as choreography and nattuvangam for productions. He is also a Creative Director at his very own humble video production company Sidd Kel Vision. Furthermore, Siddarth Kelam has a Degree in Audio Engineering from SAE Atlanta. Before starting his career in Video Production and filmmaking, he was extremely active in the music industry. Initially working as director of operations at Grammy Nominated “Bravo Ocean Studios” Siddarth was mentored and guided by producers Nick Chawala, Charles Malone, and later Adam Larossa. Siddarth has several music credits with high-level singers within the music industry in America and overseas. In the present day, Siddarth currently is head of the video production for an Amazon Music’s live Hip Hop show “Rotation” and teaches full time At Kalaivani Academy. In his free time (if there is ever any) he continues to pursue his passion for music production by collaborating with various artists all across the world.