Manasa Vijaychender ( Vidhya Subramaniam)

Rukshikaa Elankumaran is a sincere and passionate Bharatanatyam artist whose dance journey began in Australia at the age of three under the tutelage of her mother, Guru Smt. Meena Elankumaran. She completed her arangetram at the age of eight in 2007, performing alongside her brothers. Rukshikaa is currently a disciple of Guru Smt. Priyadarsini Govind, whose nuanced approach to abhinaya and traditional repertoire has profoundly shaped her artistic sensibilities.

She has performed on numerous prestigious platforms, including Brahma Gana Sabha, Indian Fine Arts, Mylapore Fine Arts, Karthik Fine Arts, Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Krishna Gana Sabha (Illamayil Thiramai series), Nadaneeranjanam (Tirupati), and the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival (USA). Most recently, Rukshikaa toured as a core ensemble dancer in Priyadarsini Govind’s acclaimed production “YAVANIKA,” performing across 12 cities in the USA and India. Her nascent choreographic explorations include ‘Amma,’ commissioned by Multicultural Arts Victoria and staged at the Sangam Festival, Melbourne, and ‘The Pursuit of Happiness,’ commissioned by the Indian Performing Arts Convention (IPAC). She has also staged her Carnatic vocal Arangetram under Guru Sri Palghat T.R. Rajaram.

Beyond her artistic pursuits, Rukshikaa is also a psychologist, completing her Doctor of Psychology (Sport/Exercise specialisation) and exploring the intersection of Bharatanatyam and psychological well-being. Her family is deeply involved in Indian classical arts, with her mother, Guru Smt. Meena Elankumaran, being a certified Bharatanatyam Guru, and her brothers also being Bharatanatyam dancers and musicians.