The passions of the soul flow through the body through dancing. These were the passions that we wanted to eventuate when we established Nupur Dance Academy in 1995.

With our heart set on performing as professionals, we started offering quality education and training in an array of dance forms – From Indian Classical to Indian Folk, from Bollywood to Bellydance, from Contemporary to Salsa and many other western dancing styles. Along with this, we also offer a 7 year Vishaarad certificate course in Indian Folk Dancing.

We aim for our young dancers to completely understand the art of dancing, and over 10,000 zealous students, aging from 3 to 80 years, have taken up their journey of this holistic exercise with us in the last 25 years.

Adapting as per your needs, we conduct classes offline with 500+ students at Santacruz, Andheri, Vile Parle, and Juhu; as well as online through multiple batches.
Every year, the improved fluidity and confidence of our students is showcased at our annual dance recital. We are proud to assert that Nupur students have participated and won in several competitions across the nation.

Founder Kajal Thanawala

Falling in love with the idea of making music with her feet, Kajal learnt Bharatanatyam from Nalanda, Folk Dancing from Mrs. Indumati Lele (Didi), as well as Western Dance from the Terrence Lewis Academy.
A hardworking professional, she worked with Hema Malini for 6 years in her dance ballet group ‘Sanskriti’. As the part of this acclaimed dance group, she has travelled to the USA, France, UK, Dubai, and many other countries to participate in World Folk Festivals. Her agile feet and lively spirit still put the audiences in awe of her performances.

Kajal's Guru

Indumati Lele -

One of India’s greatest folk dance legends – Indumati Lele, also known as ‘Didi’ – decided to dedicate her life to folk arts and dance at the ripe age of ten.
Her diligent temperament pushed her to travel, research and explore the diverse folk dance art form. Kajal was privileged enough to have the opportunity to work with Didi during her college days and participate in numerous inter-college dance festivals and shows.

Our Team -

Binita Shah

Binita’s journey at Nupur started during her pre-school days and is far from ending. Her completion of Nupur’s 7 years Vishaarad course honed her with extraordinary skill. Extremely proficient in Indian and Western dance forms, she is one of our leading choreographers. The most rewarding aspect of her knowledge is that fact that she gets to share them with her students.

Heta Shah

Another pillar of Nupur, Heta believes that dance is the hidden language of the soul. Getting exposure to dancing as a toddler, she initiated her odyssey in the field and has now become one of our finest choreographers. She has completed the 7 year Indian Folk Dance Vishaarad course and effortlessly performs both Indian and Western dances. To watch her perform is a treat for one’s eyes.

Mahek Damania

A prodigy who has been with us from the age of 3 – first as a student and now as one of our very own choreographers. Through Nupur, she has not only taken up and mastered the Vishaarad course, but also excels in Bharatanatyam. She is used to moving the audience with her own moves, and her spirit is an inspiration for us all.

kajal's Career History

Started learning Bharat Natyam at age of 5.
Appeared on TV’s Doordarshan channel at
the age of 7
Performed mythological Dance ballets in Hema Malini’s Sanskriti – 1989 to 1995
Participated in International Folk Dance festivals in USA, France, Dubai, England 1989 - 1992
Dance teacher at M.P. Shah High School – 1994 to 1999
Started Nupur Dance Academy in 1995 - completed a silver jubilee in 2020.
Her choreographed dances have won first prize in many competitions over the years
Gets regularly invited as a judge in many dance competitions
Over 10,000 students have learned various dance forms through Nupur, over the years.

Awards / Certificates

1st prize in “All Bombay Inter-school folk dance competition” organized by the Giants Group of Bombay - 1994.
Choreographed “Bharat Darshan” for Times Groups’ annual event – Kala Ghoda Festival – 2006.
Choreographed a musical ballet on Radha-Krishna – 2004.
Won first / second / third prizes for many years in Dance competitions at Kala Gurjari.
Similarly won many prizes at annual dance competitions conducted by Om Bhagavati, Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Parishad, Hindu Stree Mandal etc.
Best Choreographer – 2014 and 2018 – Nritya Kala Sagar

“Dancing is poetry,

& each movement

is a verse.”

About Nupur Dance Academy