Today we’d like to introduce you to Lavanyaa Surendar

Hi Lavanyaa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

I am an artist by profession and by passion. I grew up in South India and was blessed to have an artistic childhood with my family and artist fraternity. My mom, grandmother, aunt and uncle were all full time art practitioners and it would not be an exagerration to say that most of my childhood was spent in greenrooms and production rehearsals. I naturally learnt the South Indian dance form Bharathanatyam more by observation and participation in all the sessions condcted by my family and their artist friends. I saw that arts give you the power to connect with the community. As a child I enjoyed connecting arts, science and community and never thought that I could continue the same as a full time profession. I have the same fascination and excitement in connecting Arts, Science and the Community even now just as much as I did when I was a small girl. Growing up in a small town with no internet taught me how to explore arts, culture, language, people , history, travel and embrace inclusivity. I came to the United States to pursue my Masters in Biological Sciences (Neuroscience) and made a conscius decision to become a full time artist. I did my second Masters in Arts,Culture and Nonprofit management to understand the Arts world here. Currently I am the Artistic director of AUM LLC where I instruct 100+ students every year and Founder/ President of Ziksa INC ( www.ziksa.net), a platform to connect diverse artists and promote community engagement through Arts. I also work for First Stage Theater Company, Milwaukee in their Education department advocating STEM to STEAM . My mission is “Developing a Happy Community through Arts”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Not at all. I will not call the process “Struggles” because more than the results I believe that it is the process that has shaped me to who I am today. It was very hard for me to quit a thriving profession in Science and choose Arts. Artists neither have a stable bi weekly pay check nor a standard 401 k plan for their retirement. There’s no retirement if your passion is your profession but that should not discount the hours of practice and time invested by artists around the World. I am the first Woman graduate in my family and it was not easy to scratch my career here in United States all over again in the field of Arts. I take baby steps and I have learnt to enjoy the process rather than seeking perfection/ results.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I practice (Bharathanatyam) is a guiding light that strengthens my thought process and nurtures my creativity. Bha- Bhavam, Ra- Ragam, Tha- Thalam and Natyam means “Theater”. To me Bharathanatyam is a way of life. I use “Bharathanatyam” as a community engagement tool. I advocate for STEM to STEAM because I believe Arts is not an extracurricular activity, it play a significant role in improving the brain plasticity as well as early childhood developmental skills. I am proud of the culture and rich literature that I am associated with. One thing that I feel sets me apart is that I practice “Bharathanatyam” to become a better person because at the end of the day everyone seeks inner peace and happiness more than the materialistic desires.

Who else deserves credit in your story?

I would attribute all my success to my husband Surendar Narasimhan who is in a senior leadership role at Fedex. He is a passionate Mathematician ( Student of Professor. George Box- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_E._P._Box) who is intersted in connecting Math, People and Arts. It is only after meeting him I reassociated myself to Arts. He taught me to enjoy the process and not focus on results . He is a visionary and is an able Leader who shaped me into who I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lavanyaasurendar.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavanyaa_suren/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aumperformingarts/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aslavanyaa