Asha Gopal

Kalashri Asha Gopal is the founder/director of Arathi School of Dance in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is an accomplished dancer and a disciple of celebrated teachers: Guru Muthiah Pillai, Guru Kittappa Pillai and Professor U.S. Krishna Rao.
Asha has represented the Governments of Karnataka and India as cultural ambassador, in Sikkim performing in the presence of King of Sikkim, and in Canada in the presence of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Also, she has performed abroad to discerning audience in Europe, Mexico and the USA. Here in India, she has performed in the presence of two Honorable Presidents of India and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Asha is a proud recipient of many prestigious awards. To name a few: ‘Singar Mani’ title from Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai (1969), NRI Excellence award in London, England (1993), Karnataka Kalashri award from Sangeet Natak Academy (1999), and Citizen of the Year award from the Asian American Association of Arizona (2000).

Asha has received recognition in India for her tireless energy and dedication to the field of dance, earning heart-warming felicitations from Sri Ragam Fine Arts Society (Balasaraswati dance award in New Delhi, 2005), Sri Raja Rajeshwari Kalaniketan, Bengaluru (Natya Saraswati award, 2008), 25-year Vasundharotsava, Mysore (2010), Drishti Art Foundation, Bengaluru (Drishti Nrityakala Puraskara, 2011), Sangeetha Sambrama, Bengaluru (Nirantharam Festival, 2012) and Shivapriya School of Dance, Bengaluru (2014).
Arathi School of Dance was established in 1981, and reached a milestone of graduating the 100th student, in its 25th anniversary year! This year, in its 35th anniversary year, the school will graduate the 200th student!! The school feels greatly gratified that these, and many more students, have bonded with our art and culture in a foreign land. And, very importantly, they have acquired the fortitude to pass it on to the next generation!