Medha Hari, a professional Bharathanatyam dancer, choreographer and teacher is recognised as one of the leading artistes of her generation. She was initiated into the art form by her Guru. Smt. Anitha Guha and has trained in advanced abhinaya with Smt. Bragha Bessell. She is currently under the guidance of renowned danseuse Smt. Priyadarsini Govind. She has also completed the Marga Nritta Karana course under Ms. Vithya Arasu to absorb the vocabulary of the 108 karanas formulated by Dr. Padma Subramaniam.

Fortuitously initiated into dance at the tender age of 5, what started as a passtime soon turned into a passionate obsession. It has ever since been the biggest driving force in her life, her best friend and confidante. She has always found immense joy and a profound sense of purpose from it that has been unparalleled. Most importantly, she draws from it her life values - to live in the present moment alone, completely and deeply and to remain a student curious to learn and grow every day.

In 2012, while still chasing her dance dreams, she cleared her Chartered Accountancy Examinations with creditable grades thus opening the doors for a lucrative career path at the age of 21. However, realising dance was her true calling, she decided to take the plunge and pursue it professionally. She is also a mother to twin daughters, who teach her in their own ways to unlearn, innovate, improvise and rediscover the inner child within her to experience a life of innocence. They are her reminder to live simply, happily and love unconditionally.

As a deeply passionate dancer, her dance is a seamless blend of fluid and graceful movements with a striking sense for musicality and rhythm. With sensitive articulation through evocative abhinaya and innovative choreography, her dance breathes a freshness drawing diverse audiences. Sparkling with an enduring energy, her performances brim with a certain vigor and vitality. Driven by a pursuit for excellence, she perseveres towards making her dance an engaging and wholesome experience while staying relevant to her audiences.

She has toured widely giving solo performances all across The United States of America and Australia. She has also been performing regularly in all premier institutions within the country. She won the second place in The Spirit of Youth series conducted by The Music Academy Madras, in 2013 and was invited to perform at their HCL Concert series the forthcoming year where she was adjudged the ‘Best Performer’ for the year. She has since been invited regularly to perform at their Dance Festival in the season.

Having performed in almost 350+ group performances of her teacher and other senior artistes, Medha has acquired equal skill and expertise in creating and participating in ensemble work. Having trained under Smt. Anitha Guha for over 25 years, she has performed in key roles in almost all her major productions. In August 2015 she was part of her troupe that toured 19 cities in North America as part of AIM For Seva to raise funds for education of underprivileged children in India.

She has performed in the Cleveland Thyagaraja festival, U.S.A for three consecutive years from 2013-2015. She has taken part in major roles in the productions of other senior artistes viz. Ms.Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar, Pandit Briju Maharaj, Narasimhacharis, Thirunangai. Narthaki Natraj, Smt. Jayanthi Subramaniam, Sri Jaikishore Mosalikanti, Smt. Radhika Shurajith, Smt. Madhuvanti Arun, Sri. M.V.N Murthy etc.

Medha’s creative process includes deep research and thoughtful choreography that focus on translating unique and original ideas into aesthetic presentations. She believes strongly in integrating the music and dance together to achieve a harmonious blend to create an elevating experience for the audiences.

She was commissioned by Flute and Feather Dance Company, Dallas to choreograph a production on the life history of Saint Thyagaraja featuring the North American Dancers in September 2019. Apart from choreographing many of her traditional repertoire pieces, she has presented commissioned projects for Natyarangam (2014, 2016, 2019) and Global Organisation for Divinity (2020, 2021, 2022)

‘In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn’.

Teaching has been Medha’s way of not just sharing, but her chance to reexamine and introspect on her learnings. Her relationship with all her Gurus were beyond dance. It was this connection and warmth which was instrumental in not just sowing the seeds of interest but crucial for the sustained commitment and passion for the artform. She follows a similar approach to help her students build trust and practice the art with enthusiasm and rigor. She believes in nurturing curious dancers by encouraging them to think independently and approach dance with mindful practise. She also believes that teaching is her way of giving back to her school and community that have been such an intrinsic part of her growth and support system.

She imparts one-one lessons to students to ensure customized training and undivided attention. She also conducts group sessions to help students learn from their peers, work in a group and remain motivated.