Dr. Arti Datta is the founding Artistic Director of Mudra Dance Studio, Muttontown, NY and the President of The Mudra Foundation: Art for a Cause. Established in 2003, the studio focuses on teaching the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam to young and adult students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Seeking to promote our rich ancient heritage among younger students, the Mudra Dance Studio provides opportunities to study classical dance as a recreational activity and a performing art.

Dr. Arti Datta was initiated into the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam early in her childhood in India. An alumnus of Kalasadan, one of the premier cultural institutes in Mumbai, India, she was under the direct tutelage of the late Guru Shri Mani and received her training in the rigorous Vazhuvoor tradition. Dr. Datta continued her education in dance at the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, London, UK. She has performed extensively in India, U.K. and the United States.

Dr. Arti Datta is a clinical scientist by profession and has conducted her post-doctoral research at the famed Hammersmith Hospital in London, U.K. and here at the NYU Medical Center in New York. Dr. Arti Datta has successfully choreographed and directed several multimedia productions including Shiv-O-Hum, Leela – The Play of Krishna, Yatra – A Journey of Indian Dance, which was presented as part of the Joseph G Astman International Concert series at the Hofstra University, NY, Devi: An Ode to Mother Goddess and Arpan – An Offering, which served as a very successful fundraiser for the victims of the Japan tsunami disaster.

The ultimate goal, however, was to uplift the spirit of dance by channeling this artistic energy towards a higher calling. On the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the dance school, as a way of integrating her passion for dance with a desire to give back to society she founded the nonprofit The Mudra Foundation: Art for a Cause.

www.TheMudraFoundation.org. The debut production of the nonprofit, WATER : The Flow of the Divine , was staged a few weeks ago, with proceeds going to the Sankara Eye Foundation. Dr. Arti Datta actively serves on the Arts in Education committee on the Syosset School District and volunteers her time at New York Cares. She lives in Muttontown with her husband Dr. Rajiv Datta and their daughters, Tanya and Saumya.