ABOUT US
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About Us
Daksha Dance Troupe is a school and community located in Malvern & Philadelphia, PA. Offering a wide variety of South Asian Fusion Choreography including: Bollywood, Bhangra, Hip-Hop, Tollywood, Kuthu, and more!
DDT's Mission is to always teach with discipline, patience, and fun in mind. Emphasizing growth from all skill levels and offering many exciting opportunities for all students to perform on stages across the tristate area.
Come Join our Legacy!
Reach out to Rathi & Dhruv for dance class/performance inquiries:
610-996-2560 & 908-930-7036
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
Rathi Ramesh Sandilya
Co-Founder/Lead Choreographer
Rathi Ramesh Sandilya has a background in Finance & Marketing, and currently works in Entertainment Product and Analytics for a large technology company in Philadelphia. She also received her MBA from Drexel University. Rathi is an accomplished Dancer, Teacher and Choreographer. Rathi started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 3 from her mother, Founder & Director of Nardhana Academy of Dance, and they both continue to represent Nardhana worldwide. Rathi was also the team Captain of the premier Bollywood Fusion Dance Team at Villanova (Nova Nassa), and has led the team to perform at many championships. Rathi was also a member of the all-star Alumni Bollywood dance team Aluminati, and has performed at many prestigious shows such as Legends and World of Dance. She also enjoys judging various college dance competitions.
Dhruv Sandilya
Co-Founder/Lead Choreographer
Dhruv Sandilya is currently a Research Administrator at a Pediatric Hospital and has completed his MHA from Rutgers University. Dhruv has over 15 years of choreographing and teaching experience. Dhruv began his dance journey at the age of 10 years old when he joined Satrangi School of Fusion in NJ. He received training in many South Asian and Western styles. Dhruv had the honor and privilege to compete and perform across many reputable stages/shows: Comcast Technology Center Diwali Show, Desi Dance USA, Naya Andaz, March of Dimes, Bollywood America and BoogieWoogie Competition. Dhruv was a member of Rutgers South Asian Performing Artists (SAPA), a renowned Co-ed Bollywood Fusion competitive dance team, for his first 3 years of college. Dhruv began Daksha’s founding and inception during his 4th of year of college. Drawing from various cultures and disciplines; Dhruv’s choreography focuses on complex versatile movements that reflect various Indo-Western styles such as Bhangra, Bollywood, and Hip Hop.
Rasya Ramesh
Instructor
Rasya Ramesh is currently a third-year marketing student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. She is an honors student and also in the accelerated BS/MBA program. Rasya started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 5 from her mother, Ramaa Ramesh, Founder & Director of Nardhana Academy of Dance, and completed her Arangetram (graduation) in 2019. She has been performing for and representing Nardhana and Daksha Dance Troupe in prestigious cultural events in the East Coast for many years. Rasya enjoys teaching dance for both Nardhana and Daksha, and helps with administrative work as well. Apart from dance, Rasya has been training as a competitive figure skater since she was three years old. With an ardent love for music, she has also pursued piano and vocal Carnatic music. With a natural flare for musical compositions, she has experimented with a few of her own unique creations. Born in the family of the Tamil Poet/ Freedom Fighter, Sri. Subramania Bharatiyar, she hopes to continue with his legacy.
Sahil Mistry
Instructor
Originally from Parsippany, NJ, Sahil Mistry has been dancing since he was five years old. He began his training in Bollywood dance at Arya Dance Academy, where he was taught by and performed alongside esteemed choreographers around the tri-state area. At Villanova University, he co-led Nova Nassa, the competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, and helped the team win numerous awards across the country. Currently, he is a member of the all-star alumni Bollywood dance team Aluminati, and has served on the judging panel of various college dance competitions. He loves teaching the talented dancers at Daksha!​ Professionally, he works full-time as a data analytics project manager at Vanguard. In addition, he is an MBA candidate at Villanova.
Smita Gopal
Instructor
Originally from Arizona, Smita began her dance journey with Bharatanatyam at the age of 5 under Smt. Kalashri Asha Gopal at the Arathi School of Dance in Phoenix. She completed her Arangetram in 2013 and explored other dance styles, such as Bollywood, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Raas in school and post-grad. After moving to Malvern, PA, Smita continued her classical dance training under Smt. Ramaa Ramesh at Nardhana Academy of Dance and became an instructor with the Daksha Dance Troupe. She enjoys staying connected to her culture through movement and blending various dance styles in her choreography. Outside of dance, Smita received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware and now practices as a pediatric physical therapist at Nemours Children’s Health.
Sruthi Abraham
Instructor
Sruthi graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Cabrini University’s Honors Program in 2023 while majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. She currently is working as a Dental Intern/Assistant at Chesterbrook Dental Associates (a future dentist in the making!) and is volunteering at Community Volunteers in Medicine, a non-profit organization that provides healthcare for underserved communities!
​Sruthi started dancing when she was just five years old and has been performing ever since! She learned ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop at Harrison Dance Studio and Rock School West, Bollywood-Fusion at Diwakar Performing Arts, Bharatanatyam at Nardhana Academy of Dance, and Semi-Classical at Matha Dance Academy! She danced all four years of undergrad on Villanova’s co-ed competitive fusion dance team, Nova Nassa, and was captain for three of those four years! Continuing her dance journey, she is a part of the Hospitality Chair of Legacy On Broad, Philadelphia’s only non-profit collegiate South Asian Fusion dance competition.
