With 35 years of experience, Sudha is following her passion of dancing and teaching. She made dance her profession and is teaching thousands of aspirants in her institute.

Dr. Sudha Nagraj is a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher. She did her PhD in Bharatanatyam. She is the director at the Aradhya Institute of Bharatanatyam, Bangalore.

Sudha was born and brought up in Bangalore.

Sudha says that she started learning Bharatanatyam dance at a young age. Along with her studies, she continued to learn dance. She did her M.Com. along with her degree in dance. She completed her PhD in Bharatanatyam in 2018. Thereafter, she started teaching and opened her own dance institute.

Recalling her childhood, Sudha shares that she used to participate in dance competitions at the school and college level and bagged many silver and gold medals. She also received a junior and senior scholarship for learning dance from GOI. Even after their marriage, her husband, who was in journalism, encouraged and supported her in her journey. She has a daughter who is also a dancer and actor.

Sudha says that she got the opportunity to work in a bank, but with her husband's encouragement, she continued pursuing dance. She believes her family has been her biggest support system. Her in-laws, too, have always supported her.

Talking about her achievements, Sudha shares that she got the chance to perform across the world. During the peace and friendship programs, she also got the chance to perform in China as an Indian delegate. She also teaches international students through an online platform.

When asked about her role models, Sudha says she grew up watching Telugu dance dramas and idolized Hema Malini and Madhuri Dixit, whom she considers to be her ideals.

Sudha finds mental peace in listening to Carnatic music and vocals. She likes to play the veena. She says that practicing her dance is like a stress reliever for her.

Talking about her challenges, Sudha says that coordination and practicing together with other artists becomes a bit difficult as they already have their own plans and programs. Although presenting and conducting a programme can be challenging, she calmly handles everything.

Sudha advises all the parents that learning dance is all about practice, and they should not pressurize their children to start dancing from the very first day as it will take time to get physically fit and gain stamina before they are able to perform nicely. She says it generally takes at least five years to learn a dance form and ten years to become a dance teacher. With practice and dedication, one can learn this dance form.