INSTRUCTORS | khushi-dance-academy

Sonal Jhaveri

Founder & Artistic Director, Khushi Dance Academy

Sonal Jhaveri has always lived her life through dance. What began as a shy teenager copying Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit during family gatherings slowly grew into a lifelong love story with movement. Dance became her comfort, her joy, and eventually, her identity.

For many years, Sonal explored a variety of styles — Bollywood, Folk, Fusion — enjoying every bit of expression they offered. Yet deep inside, she felt something was missing. She wanted depth, discipline, and a connection that went beyond performance. That search led her to Bharatanatyam, a discovery that changed everything.

Sonal was fortunate to train under the world-renowned Bharatanatyam exponent Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy (www.vasundharadance.com), hailing from the culturally rich city of Mysore, India. Under her Guru’s profound guidance, Sonal immersed herself in years of rigorous training, earning her Junior, Senior, Pre-Vidhwat, and Post-Vidhwat degrees with distinction from the Karnataka Education Board, along with the honorary title of “Vidushi.”

Today, based in New Jersey, Sonal continues to contribute to the arts community through performances, choreography, and cultural collaborations across the USA. She has presented solo works on prestigious platforms, both online and on stage, and has performed internationally as part of her Guru’s major productions.

But Sonal’s greatest joy lies in teaching. For the past 12 years, she has been running her own dance academy, creating original productions and nurturing young dancers through every step of their journey. She believes dance is an education — a beautiful blend of theory, technique, discipline, and emotion. To honor her students’ hard work, she partners with exam boards in NJ so they can earn formal certificates and degrees, adding meaning and recognition to their dedication.

Every class she teaches, every choreography she creates, and every student she guides is a reflection of her belief:
dance has the power to shape character, build confidence, and keep culture alive — one heartbeat at a time.

Vanessa Jagrup

Instructor, Khushi Dance Academy

Vanessa Varshini Jagrup’s journey with dance began almost as soon as she could walk. Over time, dance grew from a childhood interest into a lifelong devotion, one rooted in both movement and meaning. At the age of eleven, Vanessa discovered Bharatanatyam at Khushi Dance Academy, a turning point that shaped her artistic identity. While she had explored Kathak, folk styles, and film dance, Bharatanatyam became her true calling, a form through which spirituality, storytelling, and tradition come together. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Bharatanatyam from the SAMVED Madhyam examination board and continues to deepen her practice through performance, teaching, and choreography.

Based in New Jersey, Vanessa has performed at numerous cultural and community events including Ram Leela, Divali Nagar, temple Brahmotsavams, and productions like the KDA Shiva Kuthumba. She aims to bring spiritual depth and emotional storytelling through her performances to allow audiences to experience devotion in motion.
Vanessa has been teaching at KDA since 2019,, nurturing each dancer with care, intention, and structure. She believes that no two students are the same, and she takes pride in identifying individual strengths and crafting each student’s growth around them. Her teaching philosophy values discipline, confidence, curiosity, and passion, while encouraging students to constantly evolve.

Vanessa places strong emphasis on understanding the cultural, spiritual, and theoretical foundations of Bharatanatyam. By integrating theory with practice, she helps students develop both skill and a deep appreciation for the art form and the way of life it represents.
For Vanessa, dance is culture, identity, and devotion. Every class she teaches is guided by one purpose: to ensure that her students dance with understanding, emotion, and soul.

Online Instructor, Khushi Dance Academy

Vidushi ShreeSannidhi is a multifaceted artist who has obtained her vidwath in Bharathanatyam under the guidance of Vidhushi Bhramari Shivaprakash and Dr Vasundhara Doraswamy.

She is also perceiving carnatic music, konnokkol, nattuvangam, yoga and Kalaripayattu.

She achieved the State 1st rank in the KSEEB Bharatanatyam Vidwath final exam, standing out as a top performer in the state.

She was awarded the CCRT scholarship by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India , along with the prestigious Karnataka Sangeetha-Nritya Academy Senior Scholarship.

Her excellence is further highlighted by over 100 captivating performances on esteemed platforms across the state.

In 2024, she showcased her talent in different states in the USA , gaining recognition internationally.

Sannidhi has assisted her dance and music teachers for more than 10 years in teaching young aspirant.
From last 6 years she has been taking online classes for Indian as well as foreign students.

For the last 3 years she has been teaching music and dance for a number of students in HSR layout, Bangalore.

Khushi Dance Academy is proud to have some one as talented as ShreeSannidhi as our online teacher since last 3 years.