Prayoga (Practical) Apprenticeship Faculty

Faculty: Arno Kamolika
Instruction: Bharatanatyam dance (adavus, abhinaya, margam repertoire, body conditioning, theory of rhythm, nattuvangam)
Email: [email protected]
Currently accepting students: Yes (limited spots available)
Locations: Coquitlam, Vancouver

About Arno's Classes
  • Weekly lessons running in-person and online
  • Classes taught in Vancouver and Coquitlam
  • Group beginner and intermediate level classes for adults and children (5-12)
  • Private mentorship for students who have received basic training in Bharatanatyam (equivalent to arangetram) and would like to develop the craft of technique and abhinaya
  • Abhinaya classes for advanced students
  • Using exercises from mime, theatre and other dance forms to develop an expressive body language
  • Working with live music towards understanding the role of music and poetry in creating the bhava for dance
  • Understand concepts of rhythm in Carnatic music through recitation and nattuvangam
  • Work towards building a margam with the ability to perform with precise technique and immersive bhava
  • Mentorship and guidance to choreograph with improvisation and creative self-expression

About the Instructor

Arno is a Vancouver based Bharatanatyam dance artist with an experience of teaching for nearly 2 decades. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Arno’s earlier training started with learning Manipuri and Bharatanatyam in Chhayanaut (Dhaka) under Sharmila Banerjee, Tamanna Rahman and Belayet Hossain. She also received training in Uday Shankhar dance style at Nrityanandan and in mime under Partha Pratim Majumber. After 12 years of training in many forms, she consciously chose to devote herself full time to study Bharatanatyam. Her mentorship under eminent guru Professor C.V. Chandrasekhar in Dhaka and Chennai played an instrumental role to deepen her understanding of Bharatanatyam vocabulary. After moving to Canada in 2010 she finished her graduation from Jai Govinda Dance Academy and continued her training with Jai Govinda. Her training under abhinaya exponent Bragha Bessel has played a keyrole to expand her imagination around story telling. A graduate in architecture, she draws from her training of various disciplines like music, mime, theatre, and other dance forms to add layers to her practice and to create an informed artistic narrative. Her rich repertoires have taken her across the globe at various festivals. In recent years she has performed for Institute of Asian Research, UBC, Simon Fraser University, Transform : A Cabaret Festival by The Cultch, World Rhythm Festival in Seattle, Dance All Sorts by New Works, Dancer’s Transition Resource Centre, Discover Dance by The Dance Centre, Vancouver Moving Theatre and Sahabhava, ICMSV, among many.

​Some of her recent productions are Rabindranth Tagore's Shyama: A Bharatanatyam Interpretation (2015-2018), Parāśakti: The Flame Within (2021), Svaha (2023), Skydancers (2024). Arno's work is supported by BC Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts and she has finished an internship with Nova Dance in 2021. Arno is interested in a holistic approach of learning dance through exposure to music, theatre or any other art forms. Arno has taught as a Bharatanatyam teacher for 7 years in Chhayanaut, Dhaka, and has taught at Mandala Arts and Culture Society in Vancouver for 10 years from 2015 to 2025.
Header photography by Dhushy Captures Studio (Dhushyanth Karunakaran)