Rumya Natraj started training in Bharata Natyam at the age of three and began conducting classes in 1992 and continues to do so. Rumya has been trained under eminent Gurus like Smt. Jayashree Nair, Shri. M.N. Suvarna, Shri. Venugopal Pillai, Shri. C.S. Kunjitham, Smt. Saroja Srinath, Smt. Siri Rama and recently by her Gurus at Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya – Dr.Malati Agneswaran, Dr.Ambika Viswanath, Dr.Uma Rele, Dr. Meenakshi Iyer Gangopadhyay, to name a few.
Rumya is a qualified Clinical Psychologist and also holds a Masters Degree in Bharata Natyam from Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai University. While pursuing her Masters in Clinical Psychology, she realized her equal interests for the fields of Clinical Psychology & Classical Dance, and hence decided to begin research on a subject which combined these two areas. This prompted her to venture into Dance-Movement Therapy (DMT) and in due course, she became a qualified Dance-Movement Therapy practitioner and researcher.
Rumya continues to acquire advanced training in Bharata Natyam under senior Gurus. She intends to use the techniques of Classical Dance movements for therapeutic purposes, working on children with special abilities and senior citizens.
Recognitions and Performances
Rumya is a graded artiste of the Mumbai Doordarshan Kendra. She is empanelled with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) – Delhi, managed by the Govt. of India, as a performing dancer.
Rumya has performed at the National as well as International levels. She has toured Singapore, Hong Kong, Muscat and several states in India. She has received accolades for her various solo performances. She has performed as a lead dancer in a variety of classical dance dramas like Tulsidas Ramayana, Hayavadana, Padmavati kalyanam, Buddha Charita and many others.
Currently, Rumya practices as a freelance Dance-Movement Therapy (DMT) practitioner. She has been invited by prominent organizations and corporates for conducting movement therapy sessions and workshops. She is a visiting faculty for the DMT course conducted at Tata Institute for Social Sciences (TISS) – Mumbai.
Rumya has attended workshops conducted by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) – USA, Creative Movement Therapy Association of India (CMTAI), Kolkata Sanved, and TISS, as a continuing ongoing process of personal enhancement.
Rumya could be reached at – [email protected]