Learn with Leela
Get started learning with the Triangle’s Award-Winning Dance School today!
Leela School of Dance is the foremost dance school for the art of Bharata Natyam with a nurturing and supportive teaching team with over 40 years of experience. We have a level for every student!
Little ones – ages (4-6) OR Beginner
Youth – 7-13 Intermediate
Young Adults – 14-21 Advanced
Adult Learners
Get Started
We have a structured curriculum for students to progress from one level to the next.
All students from the beginner level to advanced level get a chance to showcase their learning at least twice a year - once during Vijayadasami Celebrations at the studio and next during the school Annual Program in an auditorium space. If we have informal presentations at the studio, and if it is opened to all levels, that is yet another time to showcase their learning.
Sessions & Class Times
Our school session is from mid-August to mid-June. We follow the Wake County Calendar for holiday timings.
Timing
Students in the first year of the Beginner Program meet once a week. All other programs meet twice a week, including Beginner Program after the initial first year.
Class Times:
Beginner Program: Saturdays, 10.00 am -11.00 am.
Elementary Level: Tuesday & Friday, 5.30 – 6.30 pm
Intermediate Level: Thursday, 5.30-6.30 pm & Saturday, 2.30-4.30 pm
Advanced Level: Tuesday, 6.30-8.00 pm & Saturday, 1.00-2.30 pm
Adult Learners: Thursday, 6.30-8.00 pm & Saturday, 11 am -12.30 pm
Enrollment
To get started: Submit our interest form (below) and we’ll contact you to answer your questions, recommend the best program, and schedule a meeting with you to understand your needs.
From our Takita Tara or Little Dancer and Youth Programs to Advanced and Adult programs, learning at Leela School of Dance is designed to nurture, inspire and motivate each student.
Once you have had a short informative meeting with us, please register for classes with our registration form.
Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Start dancing today and meet our professional team of teachers!
The Registration Form also contains our School Policies. Please take the time to read them.
To get enrolled at Leela Schol of Dance, students/parents must fill out, sign and return the Registration Form.
Special Programs
Little Dancer or Takita Tara Program – 4-9
Through the joy of dance, music and the imagination children learn classical Bharata Natyam and dance fundamentals. Guided by the developmental stages of childhood, the Little Dancer Program supports gross motor development, listening skills, and spatial awareness while encouraging values of kindness, respect and gratitude.
Adult Learner of The Nayika Program
Dance has been traditionally limited to young learners due to its demands on physical ability, flexibility, agility, and endurance. Leela School has broken these barriers to teach Bharata Natyam to adult learners.
The value of the program extends beyond dance. As Sharlini Sankaran stated, “Rediscovering Bharata Natyam as an adult and a mother, has been a form of therapy that has brought me immense emotional and spiritual growth. It's said that one of the biggest societal problems facing older adults, is loneliness and isolation. Through the Nayikas group I have found community, unconditional love, support and acceptance, and a sisterhood that goes beyond the world of dance.”
Bharata Natyam is a multi-layered art form that is deeply spiritual at one level, and physically demanding at another level, with a technique that entails understanding movement, rhythm, music, literature and expression. Mastery of this art requires consistent practice and unwavering dedication, as each element builds upon the other to develop a dancer’s skill, grace, and connection to the art’s profound roots.