Mitali Sathaye is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Samsara Alumni Dance Team. She graduated from the University of Texas in 2015, and was a Co-Captain and Dancer of UT Nritya Sangam during her time there. Mitali is currently working as a Business Analyst for Texas Instruments, and loves to run, eat tacos, and dance whenever she is free!

Co-Founder and Co-Director

Puja graduated from Emory University in 2014 and from Emory Rollins School of Public Health in 2017. In addition to Bharatanatyam, she is trained in classical Ballet, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. Puja was captain of Emory Savera where she was exposed to many classical styles including Kathak and Odissi. She loves music, travel, and Bollywood when shes not working in Hospital Infection Control research at Emory University. Puja is Co-Director of Samsara and has also worked on website design for the team.

Co-Director

Aishwarya is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and has dabbled in other dance styles, including Kuchipudi, Kathak, Mohiniattam, Modern, Flamenco, and Salsa. She graduated from University of Maryland, College Park, in 2015 and was a member of UMD Moksha. She is in charge of performance opportunities for Samsara. Currently pursuing her Master's degree in Expressive Arts Therapy in San Francisco, Aishwarya is a Bollywood buff, foodie, and loves to travel!

Performance Opportunities

Preeti graduated from Penn State with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2016, and is currently a law student in Washington, D.C. In college, Preeti was a member of Penn State Natya for four years and served as captain for two. She was also Registration Director of Laasya 2017, both a liaison and a volunteer for multiple years of Penn State Infusion, and is currently a board member on the Registration team for Legacy on Broad 2019. Preeti loves to write, dance and travel in her free time!

Website Design & Social Media

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Priya has experimented with several styles of dance including Bharatanatyam, garba/raas, folk, and Bollywood. She attended Emory University, where she graduated with degrees in psychology and predictive health and was a member of Emory Savera. This year, in addition to attending graduate school in Savannah, GA, Priya is one of Samsara's website design and social media chairs.

Website Design & Social Media

Surata graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015. During her time there, she was a member of UT Nritya Sangam, and she served as a Co-Captain her last two years. Surata currently works as a Commercial Underwriter for Liberty Mutual and serves as one of the dance weekend organizers for Samsara. She loves to travel and spend time with her puppy!

Dance Weekend Logistics

Shreena Shah graduated from Drexel University and was a dancer and Co-Captain of Penn Thillana during her time in Philadelphia. She currently works for Johnson and Johnson as a Financial Analyst in New Jersey. She loves to travel and during her free time she loves hiking and exploring different restaurants.

Dance Weekend Logistics

Sambavi is a third year member of Samsara Alumni Dance Team. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013 and was Co-Captain of UT Nritya Sangam for two years. Sambavi recently completed her Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and enjoys incorporating her love of dance into her work as a counselor.

Ipsita Subudhi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, where she majored in Biochemistry and South Asia Studies and submatriculated in Chemistry. During her time in Philadelphia, she was a dancer and Co-Captain of Penn Thillana. Ipsita is currently pursuing her MD-PhD at New York University School of Medicine. When not in the dance studio or in lab, she loves to write, play music, and travel!

Lalita Kota attended George Mason University and graduated in 2016. While at GMU, she co-founded Mason Mahima and was captain of the team for 3 years. Lalita learnt Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi but finished her arangetram in Kuchipudi. In her spare time, "Lali" enjoys reading, cooking (and eating) photography, and all things Harry Potter.

Sravya graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2017. During her time there, she was a member of MIT Mirchi and served on their executive board heading costumes, makeup, and choreography. She is also a classically trained dancer in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and has completed her Arangetram. Sravya currently works as a Product Manager at Microsoft in Seattle. In her free time, she works closely with Pratidhwani, a South Asian performing arts organization, as a choreographer and fills every other free moment with movies and food.

Anusha Nathan graduated from Caltech in 2018. While there, she co-founded Caltech Aarya and captained the team for four years. She has been learning Bharatanatyam for the last 18 years and Kuchipudi for the last 10, and she completed her arangetram with her sister in 2009. She currently works in cancer research at the City of Hope, and, in her free time, enjoys cooking up dishes of different cuisines and exploring new mountains and dance styles in the greater Los Angeles area.

Sabina is a trained Odissi dancer and is currently training in Kathak. She graduated from UCLA in 2017 and was a part of UCLA Taara, during which time she learned Bharatanatyam as well as some Kuchipudi. Currently pursuing her PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, she loves to travel, bake chocolate goods, and make an assortment of crafts!

Paavani Reddy graduated from Northwestern University in 2017, and spent the last year teaching in Korea through the Fulbright Program. Paavani has been learning Bharatanatyam since she was 7 years old, and was a part of Northwestern Anubhav, a bollywood-fusion team, in undergrad. Currently, Paavani is a medical student at Northwestern, where she loves exploring Chicago, cooking, and writing in her free time.

Lalita Ganti is a teacher for biology, chemistry, and mathematics at C2 Education from New Jersey. She trained in Bharatanatyam for 13 years and continued to dance at college by dancing for Shakti at Johns Hopkins. Hoping to pursue a career in medicine, she earned a bachelor's degree in Public Health Studies. Lalita joined Samsara this year, and is excited to perform with the team this season!

Abhaya Moturu graduated from Nova Southeastern University in 2017, where she was the manager and dancer for NSU Maasti. Abhaya has been learning Kuchipudi for 17 years, but she also enjoys learning contemporary, fusion, and hiphop. Abhaya is currently completing her master's at Northwestern Law, and in her free time, she loves to read, practice photography, and learn new dances!

Ameenay Khan graduated from Emory University in 2011, and then the Emory Rollins School of Public Health in 2015. During her time at both schools, she was the captain of Sitara and a dancer of Savera. She loves food in all forms, reading, fuzzy animals and dance during her spare time, while working in Clinical Informatics at Emory Healthcare.

Chinmayee Bala graduated from George Mason University in 2016 with degrees in Neuroscience and Global Affairs. She was Co-Founder and Co-Captain of Mason Mahima. In addition to dancing, Chinmayee loves cooking (and eating), exploring new places, and reading.