FWN Artists
M. Subhashini Vijay Santhanam
She is the founder and artistic director of FWN. She began learning dance at the age of nine at Kalakshetra (Chennai, India). She performed her first full length solo recital of two and a half hours on Jan 16, 1988. She continued her advanced training in Bharatanatyam till 1994 under various well-established teachers of Kalakshetra. In 1995 she trained under Smt. Nandini Nagaraj, where she also began her career as a dance teacher. From 1996 to 1998 Subhashini taught dance to the students of Smt. Nandini Nagaraj.
She has been in the United States from 2000, and has been actively working to promote art. She has given Bharatanatyam performances at the ISKON temple, Kaya Yoga Studio, Seattle Art Museum and many other reputable venues. In 2003 she received the Washington State Apprenticeship to expand her dance repertoire. She currently teaches advanced dance classes at the FWA dance school.
Vidya Guhan
She learned Carnatic music as a child, and played the veena at a professional level in Singapore. Inspired by her daughter, Vidya started learning Bharatanatyam as an adult under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Suganda Sreenath in Fremont, CA, in the Kalakshetra style. When Vidya relocated to Kirkland, WA, she was fortunate to continue her training under Guru Smt. Subhashini Vijay Santhanam of the From Within Academy. From her, Vidya is learning the nuances of several different styles of Bharatanatyam, advanced technical skills in dance and nattuvangam, and the fine art of abhinaya. Vidya completed her arangetram successfully under the guidance of Guru Smt. Subhashini Vijay Santhanam in July 2009. She treasures her immense passion for Bharatanatyam and feels most fulfilled when she expresses herself honestly and completely through her dance, and is able to connect emotionally with the audience. Bharatanatyam has been a tremendous source of personal and spiritual growth for her, but most of all, it is sheer fun and joy.
Divya Rangarajan
She started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 4 in Bombay, India, under the guidance of Smt. Asha Bala. She continued her training and completed her arangetram from Sri. Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir under the tutelage of Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai. She has also trained for brief periods of time under Smt. Swati Daithankar and Smt. Meenal Prabhu thereafter. She has also participated in other types of dance performances including Qawwali, Kathak, Bengali and modern dance.
Divya derives great happiness from dance and believes it is a medium that enables one to develop and express their creativity, as well as lose themselves to a spiritual experience. Her passion continues to be nurtured under Smt. Subhashini Santhanam at the From Within Academy. Apart from dance, Divya enjoys painting, playing the piano, various crafts, writing and playing tennis.