Eswari Raja is an accomplished dancer and choreographer with over twenty years of experience and a dedication to bringing Indian dance to the forefront of the dance arena. Born and Raised in Houston, TX, she began her training as a child learning Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi which are two formal disciplines of Indian classical dance. She later went on to pursue further training in India under the guidance of Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam at the Kuchipudi Art Academy, Madras where she spent several summers going through a rigorous program in dance, dance theory, and music. By the age of 18, Eswari had performed internationally, begun teaching dance classes, and had a number of Indian classical and Bollywood dance choreographies to add to her repertoire. Eswari has performed and choreographed for various organizations, charities, South Asian television networks, and conventions across the U.S. She has also had the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of dance companies and perform in dance ballets across the nation. After training extensively in Indian dance for many years, Eswari grew an interest to venture out into other styles and began taking classes in modern, jazz, hip hop, and ballet. She later joined the Urban Indian Beat to experiment with fusion choreography and became an Artistic Director for the company. In 2004, Eswari founded the Mahira School of Dance and began teaching classes in Indian classical and Bollywood dances. In 2006 the school evolved into a professional performing company now known as the Mahira Dance Company. Eswari currently lives in Los Angeles where she works as a full time Business Analyst, and continues to choreograph and run the company remotely.