Board of directors
Chayanika Mohan
(Chairman)
By profession, Landscape Architect Chayanika Mohan is from the
historic oil town of Digboi in the state of Assam, India. She is
currently based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Her classical dance journey began at Nritya Dhwani School as a
student. Growing up back in Assam, her exposure to dance was mostly to
folk-art forms such as Bihu dance. As a folk dancer, Chayanika
introduced Bihu by presenting it to audiences who are unfamiliar with
it. The accolades and appreciation from the audience for introducing
them to a new culture filled her with pride and determination to
further showcase her cultural and traditional roots in this country.
Nritya Dhwani provided the perfect platform to further this passion of
hers and gave her an avenue to promote Assam’s cultural heritage among
others but also brought her closer to her cultural roots as she
learned new ways to connect through dance.
She also, served as Treasurer for the Assam Association of North
America (AANA) and had been a past editor of their quarterly
newsletter that is published nationwide.
Rita Sarmah Kataki
(Vice-Chairman)
Rita has dedicated more than two decades to educating younger generations in the Assamese community about a variety of folk dances. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in the arts and culture, she was exposed to numerous performances put on by her family's mobile theater, which inspired her passion for dance and the performing arts.
Rita's main drive is to preserve and promote India's rich cultural heritage by passing it on to the next generation. For the past three years, she has been involved with the Nritya Dhwani School of Performing Arts, with the specific aim of spreading awareness of Sattriya dance beyond India.
She and her group have represented the state of Assam in the Festival of Light celebrations in San Diego, as well as at various charity events organized by the Federation of Indian Associations and India Friends Association.
Rita is an executive team member of the Assam Foundation of North America, as well as an office bearer at the Assamese Association of North America. She earned a Post Graduate Degree in Horticulture and Genetics with High Honors from TNAU. Currently, she works as a Senior Software Engineer at a Multinational Medical Device Company and resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two children.
Priyadarshini Inman
(Founder/ Treasurer)
PRIYADARSHINI INMAN has been a choreographer, performer, and teacher of SATTRIYA, only the living Dance form of India and one of the eight classical dances of India. She founded the Nritya Dhwani School of Performing Arts in 2018 and Nritya Dhwani Cultural Foundation in 2021 and currently serves as -Artistic Director, Choreographer, and Principal Dancer. She is also trained in Kathak dance and is a trained Hindustani classical singer. “Entwined Twins: A Jugalbandi between Sattriya and Kathak” is one of her prominent compositions, and choreography was showcased at Charlotte Dance Festival, DAACLT considered the first premiere in the USA.
Priyadarshini currently serves on the Naamghor Association of America as a Board Member. Also, she has served as Chair of the Waxhaw Town Advisory Board in 2020-2021. She served the Indian Association of Triad as Cultural Secretory in 2018. She was awarded Gold Medal for her contribution to the community by the White House in 2018.
In addition to her creative work, Priyadarshini is committed to inspiring a new generation to think and act innovatively, sparking conversations that articulate new possibilities for cultural hybridity in the 21st century. Priyadarshini is a trainer for Sattriya and Kathak and served as guest lecturer at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and abroad, and has been a featured speaker and panelist for such forums as the Dance/USA National Conference, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, and the Body Voices. Her choreographic work has been showcased in the USA and internationally in many countries like China, UK, Belgium, Bhutan, etc. Priyadarshini is also committed to helping underprivileged children with their education and extra-curricular activities under the foundation “NDCF”
Sangeeta Duorah
(Director)
Sangeeta is very passionate about dance and has been studying various dances for over 30 years. She started her training of Sattriya at a young age of six under the tutelage of Guru Late Sridhar Baruah in Assam, in the tradition of Natun Kamalabari Satra. She has performed in various venues in Assam and in the USA. After her move to the Bay area she has been guiding youngsters with Bihu dance, a folk dance of Assam. Apart from teaching Bihu and Modern Creative dances, she dabbles in Salsa dancing. Her desire to take Sattriya to the global stage has led her to study and work with Nritya Dhwani School of Performing Arts. Sangeeta has been a Public School educator for 24 years, teaching students in K-6th grades in the USA. She holds a Master's Degree in Elementary Teaching. Sangeeta utilizes her extensive knowledge of teaching and pedagogical practices with her Sattriya lessons. At present Sangeeta teaches two Sattriya classes from her home studio. She lives in Santa Clara, CA. Sangeeta is also an avid gardener, together with her husband she maintains an organic garden that is home to many of the seasonal produce and an urban apiary for bees.
Pallabita Bhuyan
(Director)
My name is Pallabita Bhuyan, a 30 plus year’s resident of The Woodlands, Texas.
My love of Art, history, classical/folk dances combined with my drive to serve the community was how I started initially promoting our rich Assamese heritage & culture in our Assamese as well as Indian community events. I became involved in the Woodlands Indian Association for several years including serving as the President of that Organization in 2007. I have been involved with the Hindu Temple of the Woodlands serving on the Executive board as Cultural Chair since 2013, the temple’s founding year to the present time. I have been a Life Member of Assam Association of North America (AANA) and served as the Texas Regional VP (2006), Treasurer (2017-2019), AANA President (2021-2023), and the member
of the AANA board of Governors since 2023 to present. My belief in Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev’s “Sravane Mukti Sadhakam” brought me close to Nritya Dhwani Cultural Foundation School, an excellent learning forum for our Assamese culture and heritage.Today, I’m honored to serve as a board member of Nritya Dhwani Cultural Foundation School, the first Non Profit Sattriya School of the USA & an official member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO.
Apurna Das
(Director)
I am Apurna Das, currently working as an accountant in a multinational company. Born and raised in Duliajan, Assam, I now live in Chicago with my husband and son, whose love and support inspire me every day.
Deeply connected to my roots, I have embraced the journey of learning Satriya dance and feel truly honored to be a member of this respected dance school. Through this art form, I remain closely tied to my culture and heritage, which continue to shape who I am.
As a simple woman proud of where I come from, I aspire to contribute to this institution’s mission of preserving culture and giving back to my birthplace. I sincerely thank Nritya Dhwani Cultural Foundation for this wonderful opportunity, and I hope to support and contribute meaningfully toward achieving the vision and goals of this institution.