PHOTO BY KANNAN KATHIRESAN

A professional artist of the Indian classical dance form, Kuchipudi, who engages with the community to build cultural and artistic literacy through workshops, performances, and lecture-demonstrations hosted at music & dance festivals, cultural events, schools, universities, and corporate offices.

Recipient of 2025 Creative Individuals Grant from Massachusetts Cultural Council
& 2025 New England Dance Fund from New England Foundation of the Arts

  • Prnay Chopra is a classical dancer performing Kuchipudi, one of eight ancient Indian classical dance forms. Born from a culture as artistic, spiritual, and philosophical as ancient India, this form was used by religious men to explain complex philosophy from the Hindu scriptures to the common man in their vernacular. Prnay began his training under Neena Gulati in Boston, where he developed a passion for the theory, spirituality, and underlying aesthetic of the art form. After finding himself enamored with the fluidity, grace, and vigor that characterizes Kuchipudi, he sought a greater depth of understanding which motivated him to look toward the source.

    He traveled to the cultural capital of India, Chennai, to pursue intensive training in the form for two years under Shri Jaikishore Mosalikanti, the prodigious disciple of the legendary late Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. Shri Kishore and his wife, Smt. Padmavani, are two of the leading artists, choreographers, and scholars of Kuchipudi. This was a culturally intensive experience which required full dedication and commitment to a traditional lifestyle of art and philosophy through Indian classical dance. During this time, Prnay also received holistic training in Vedic philosophy, Sanskrit, Ayurveda, and yoga from other practitioners.

  • As an instructor at Triveni School of Dance in Brookline, MA, Prnay has over 2000 hours of teaching experience varying between course content and difficulty levels. With a student body ranging in age from 5 to 55, Prnay has been praised by his students for having a sharp eye for refinement, while maintaining the intrinsic beauty and conventions of this ancient art form. He is frequently requested by parents who note that his keen energy and intense passion for the form motivates their children both in and out of the classroom setting. He also hosts intensive workshops during the summer focusing on basic form, body kinetics, and theory.

    Outside of traditional instruction, Prnay has developed a 1 hour workshop titled "Spirituality in Motion" aimed at introducing the basic foundations and philosophical aesthetic of Indian classical dance to non-dancers of all cultures. Participants learn 4-5 basic step sequences and how to express different human emotions as described in ancient Sanskrit literature.

    This workshop has been conducted at Sonic Bloom Festival 2017, Elements Lakewood 2019, Electric Forest 2019, Suwannee Hulaween 2023, and continues to be a hit at music & dance festivals, community events, and schools around New England. Click here to read reviews!

  • Bhoomi: Mother Earth, Boston, April 2026 [choreographer, performer, producer]
    Facing East Festival, Philadelphia, October 2025
    Upasana Gala, Wilmington, June 2025
    Yatra: A Journey Through India, Boston, April 2025 [choreographer, performer, producer]
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, November 2024
    Massachusetts State House, Boston, November 2024
    Anubhava: The Senses, Boston, May 2024 [choreographer, performer, producer]
    TriNethra, Lexington, Nov 2023 [choreographer, performer]
    Suwannee Hulaween, Florida, October 2023
    Prakriti: The Forces of Life, Boston, Sept 2023 [choreographer, performer, producer]
    Salem Arts Festival, Salem, June 2019, 2022, 2023
    Revels Connect, Watertown, January 2022 [choreographer, performer, director]
    Electric Forest, Michigan, June 2019
    Elements Lakewood, Pennsylvania, June 2019
    Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Feb 2019-2020
    Festival of Us, We, You & Them, Cambridge, June 2018-2019
    Dance for World Community Festival, Cambridge, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2026

    Shri Dwarkamai Shirdi Sai Temple, Billerica, Feb 2020 | Dance for World Community Festival, Cambridge, June 2019 | South Shore National Science Center, Norwell, Feb 2019 | Tufts Health Plan, Watertown, Nov 2018 | Shillman House, Framingham, Nov 2018 | Bancroft School, Andover, Nov 2018 | Twitter Corporate Office, Cambridge, Nov 2018 | Biogen, Cambridge, Oct 2018 | Third Life Choreographer Series, Somerville, Sept 2018 | Harvard Square's Mayfair Festival, Cambridge, May 2015-2018 | The Fenn School, Concord, April 2018 | Shady Hill School, Cambridge, April 2018 | Curry College, Milton, Sept 2017 | Outside of the Box Festival, Boston, July 2016 | William James College Center for Global Mental Health, Newton, May 2016 | Family ACCESS, Newton, April 2016 | Fiske Elementary School World Heritage Night, March 2016 | South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston Gala, Boston, Dec 2015 | Suffolk South Asian Law Student Association Diwali Program, Boston, Nov 2015 | CATS Academy Dance Festival, Newton, Nov 2015 | STAPLES Diwali Program, Framingham, Oct 2015 | Paint The Town (la) Red, Cambridge, May 2015 | United India Association of New England Diwali Festival, Oct 2014 | Curry College, Milton, Oct 2014 | Greater Boston Sickle Cell Disease Association Celebration, Sept 2014 | Reflections on Sect 377: Hosted by  MAP for Health, Boston, Feb 2014 | Rosie’s Place, Boston, Dec 2013