Best Indian Dance Classes & Studios in Boston, MA

As a student of six years at Archana Nrityalaya, I can proudly say that getting the opportunity to learn from Archana Tai has been one of the greatest blessings of my entire life. In fact, the impact of her tutelage, both in and outside of the classroom, cannot be quantified into the five stars of this rating. I highly doubt that it could be counted in thousands of them either. When I began learning with Archana Tai in sixth grade, I wasn’t very happy. Kathak dance had so many guidelines, so many rules. The dance required so much effort and discipline, and with Archana Tai as my guru, I had to strive for perfection. And I definitely was not disciplined or motivated enough to do it at that age, and it was because of my drawbacks that I almost considered quitting my tutelage. Today, I proudly say that continuing was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. The rules that I eventually internalized define my character today, in both dance and society. Every single lesson in her studio is test of the decorum she has taught and continues to teach me: Do I appear confident and strong every time I move my body to the rhythm? How about my hair, my attire? Have I dressed to succeed in class? And lest we forget, how am I reciting poems and compositions? Is my performance acceptable, or exemplary? Most importantly, how do I respond to my critiques? Do I dare to retaliate out of sheer impulse, or accept my mistakes and respect both my progress and my teacher’s wishes and try again? I face the questions every single day when I return, and try to make the right decisions as Tai has taught me. Yes, Tai can be strict. She pays attention to the nitty-gritty details, and strives for intense perfection. She may break down her students to begin, but rebuilds then into future dancers and leaders. Her endless care for her students is reflected in every single conversation she has with her students. These attributes that distinguish her from other teachers and academies. The schooling that we students receive here is arguably beyond any other Kathak education we can receive. Here, we learn to push the boundaries the boundaries of ourselves and dance, so that we can do the same in life. Thank you, Archana Tai. For everything you have taught me and will continue to to teach me both inside and outside of your classroom.

I love the way Archana tai teaches… she has a warm attitude towards all her students and spends a great amount of time focusing on each and every one of them. Truly the best kathak teacher running one of the most prestigious kathak academies.

They say your Guru is your ‘Marg Darshak’, so for a classical dance form like Kathak, it was an obvious choice for us to go to Archana Tai. This is the perfect place for letting your child’s childhood flourish while they learn this beautiful dance form. Each child is given individual attention to make sure, they have the right pronounciation, Bhav, posture etc. We are seeing our beautiful little girls turn into graceful dancers with each passing year. And you know that you made the right choice when your child is begging you for summer camp after a full rigorous year of the Kathak. Archana Nrityalaya is not a dance school but an extended family for us.

I have been associated with ArchanaTai and her dance school for over 10+ years through my daughter who learns Kathak with her. Typically, I am a person of few words but feel compelled to write this review as my daughter is planning to finish her B.A. in Kathak soon. I have no doubt that Kathak and especially association with Tai is a big reason behind my daughters confidence, self-identity, musicality and pursuit of excellence in whatever she undertakes. Tai doesn’t just teach kathak, she imbibes in her students values of hard work, attention to detail, consistency and diligence. She takes effort to explain history of Kathak, meaning behind each lesson and shared stories of our cultural heritage. Tai uses the right balance between tough love and tenderness to ensure her students achieve their full potential. It is no surprise that the learning in her classroom goes beyond Kathak and makes its mark in academic, physical and spiritual worlds. If you are looking for serious Kathak training, you cannot find a better teacher and human being that you want your child to associate with and learn from. THANK YOU Tai for your wisdom and heart, and all the sweet things that you do. We are thankful to have you here in NJ!

Archana Nrityalaya has been an absolute godsend for us; my daughter has been learning Kathak for the past four years under the tutelage of Guru Archana Joglekar, and absolutely loves it. Tai, as she is fondly called by all her students, puts her heart and soul into making sure that all her students learn this beautiful art - she will continually challenge the students to stretch and improve their dance skills. Serious students only!

Hi Tai, It was a wonderful performance at the Rhythm of Life 2022as always.... You never cease to surprise me, rather amaze me ,and every time I come back impressed with the depth and breadth and range of your performance and talent. You outdo yourselves every time we all see you, in many respects. I remember the annual show of 2019, as I remember other shows of yours that I have attended and watched. I could go on and on about the artistic talent, the creativity, the choreography, the attention to detail and the combination of originality and choice of compositions that you have taken from the legends. You would have heard about all this from others too.. What impressed me also are the steps that you are taking to build the next level of talent for your academy and laying foundations of a lasting institution that can scale and grow to multiple levels.. I particularly liked the gesture to honor all faculties and PareshJi in particular. It is rare that an individual who is an excellent performer in his or her field is also good at managing, organizing, and institution building. This combination of multiple talents within you, along with organizational capabilities, and the teaching and institution building abilities is an exceptional combination seen rarely in creative artists. We feel thankful and blessed to have you as Guru for our kids... Our prayers for the continued growth of your art, craft and for the growth of this wonderful institution Archana Arts is promising to be

The show was amazing! Hats off to Archana Tai for working so hard to put this show together and to make it the best it can be. I had a guest from India who thoroughly enjoyed the performances and following are her own words: I would not have imagined to witness 3 and 1/2 hours of a pure classical show in the USA, which I have not even seen in India. The show was fabulous.

Year after year, the level of the performers keeps getting better. It is enthralling to see the progression of the little ones blossoming into such a fine dancers. But it would not have been possible if they had not find the Guru like Archana Tai. These kids are so blessed to have such Kathak legend like her in their life. And as the parents we are fortunate too. She and her faculty show students how far they have to go and what life long commitment to the art form means.

When you cannot decide which one of your favorite from an evening full of classical dances, you know that its an evening thoroughly enjoyed. Be it the little girls just stepping into Kathak or the beautiful girls who have learning this beautiful art for years. Of course, the cherry on the top is the back story presented behind each composition and your relationship to it.

I have seen several recitals over last 10 years thanks to my daughter's involvement. Archanaji's commitment, dedication, involvement in every single detail and the effortless ease with which you seem to make it all come together (though I know it can't be easy at all) is tremendously worthy of appreciation.

The annual show, 'Rhythm of Life' is just REMARKABLE, DISTINCT, MESMERIZING and it was so much more that few words cannot describe it. All of my family who came to see the show were just amazed to see such professional level performances by all the girls. Especially some of the short stories and your philanthropy towards Kathak came out good through your

Archanaji's passion, knowledge and art really shows as you watch every student as they perform! Coal needs to be put under pressure to become diamonds and the kids and their parents really get it!! The structure, the sequence, the pace, the selection, your performance and the culmination pieces - everything was outstanding and a visual treat.

Guru Mona is very caring and welcoming teacher and treats her students like family. I have been learning Kathak for over 10 years from Guru Mona. She is very creative and talented and all the productions and performances of Mona's Dance Academy reflect the beauty of the classical form of Kathak. I enjoy all the dance classes and look forward to them every week with enthusiasm. Guru Mona has an attention to detail and breaks down the performance to multiple steps as she focuses the student to master each movement in the most beautiful way. She is very patient and supportive and encourages all students to appreciate, love and respect dance. The students learn multiple aspects of Kathak such as graceful hand and foot movements, intricate expressions and theory/background of the dance. The variety of performances we learn at Mona's Dance Academy makes learning and dancing very interesting - from Taranas, Aamads, Bols, Tukdas, Thodas to semiclassical and bollywood fusion. The dances are personalized to the student's capability and interest and enables them to continuously learn and improve in their dance journey. Guru Mona offers both virtual and in-person dance classes, which makes dancing more accessible for out of state students like me. Guru Mona gives opportunities to her students to perform in several global platforms. I whole heartedly recommend Mona's Dance Academy for students to learn and enjoy Kathak dance. Thank you Guru Mona for your wonderful teaching.

I joined her classes about an year ago. Mona Di has excellent teaching style. It is very personalized based on each student. She adapts her style according to the students requirement and is very accommodative. I highly recommend her class.

Both my girls have been going to Mona since they were 5 and 7 years respectively. That was almost ten years back! And they still go to her for Kathak classes every week. Mona is the best teacher they could have had. I have seen both girls grow and improve so much in their dance.

Mona has very good teaching style. It is very personalized based on each student. She works on improvement areas step by step and make them reach their best. My dancing skills and stamina has improved a great extent with her classes. I recommend her classes strongly.

Mona jee is highly professional and so supportive of her students! I started Kathak on a whim after watching my sister’s class. Though I was incredibly nervous and awkward at first, Mona Jee taught me how to use my nervous, awkward limbs to create something beautiful. She helped me build my confidence and has been supportive and understanding through so much! No one does it like her.

Mona is a great teacher who is committed to the art . She is very innovative and makes sure students of every age enjoy and learn the techniques of the dance form.

My daughter and I have been taking lessons at Mona's Dance Academy. With the Covid-19 pandemic, we were worried about the discontinuity in our class schedule. But Mona made the transition to online classes so smoothly that we didn't face any difference with the face-to-face instruction. Now, we are taking our dance lessons remotely and are having super fun! Thanks Mona for making the classes so enjoyable!

I started learning Kathak with Mona about a year ago. Having never taken any kind of dance class in the past, I was surprised to see myself on stage just 3 months after starting! Mona catered to my learning pace and encouraged me throughout this past year. I have now performed with the dance academy twice and we are planning more performances for the next few months. Kathak was something I always wished to learn and I’m grateful to Mona for making this a reality. Mona is so patient and kind and all of us at Mona dance academy feel like one big family. My sister recently started taking classes with Mona and I can see her confidence building every day! Thank you Mona for being such a wonderful and patient teacher!

We're very lucky to find you Mona. While searching online, we found few schools in the area and while asking people around, everyone recommended ‘Mona's Dance Academy’. Our daughter is super happy and is always looking forward to her dance class. She has made some good friends there. Mona has an excellent chemistry with all her students be it a little kid, teen or adult student. We met some students who have been taking lessons from Mona for the last 5-6 years.

I can’t say enough about Mona’s Dance Academy. Our daughter started in this dance school when she was 3 and half and didn’t know anything about dance. Now, we can’t believe ourselves how good of a dancer she has become. Apart from her regular lessons, she goes there for dance camps during school breaks. Mona is a great teacher and choreographer and makes her classes a total fun. She also has lot of adult students and it’s a delight watching their rendition on stage. We’re truly blessed to have her as our daughter’s dance teacher.

Mona didi is an excellent kathak teacher and choreographer! She is like a friend to all her students. I began my lessons with her 6 years ago when I lived in Boston. I moved to a different town since, but I'm still continuing to take Skype lessons from her! This is a testimony to how much I enjoy them. Her classes are very reasonably priced and she flexibly accommodates the lessons to my schedule whenever I need it. My dancing has hugely improved with her. She has a keen eye for spotting even the tiniest mistakes, so she makes sure I get all the details right. I learn both the technicals of kathak as well as newly choreographed individual pieces from her, and enjoy both thoroughly. I would recommend her very highly!

My daughter has been taking Kathak lessons at Mona's Dance Academy since last few years. She's a great teacher and we are happy to find her in Boston area. I can see my daughter starting with zero experience in Kathak to a nice dancer now. She is always looking forward to her class with Mona and other kids in her group. I also recently started taking lessons from her for myself. She's an awesome teacher!