Meet Team Thumak
Varalika Srivastava
Founder, Kathak and Bollywood Instructor
Born and raised in India, Varalika has a deep love for all things Indian but Indian dance forms are her absolute favorite! She is a trained Bharatnatyam as well as Kathak dancer. She has been dancing since the age of ten. Over the years, she has taken various workshops to dip her feet in other dance forms like Jazz, Hip Hop and Belly Dance.
Dancing is her way of self expression. She loves to perform but what makes her the happiest is teaching and seeing her students perform on stage. She cherishes the bond she shares with each of them and works on building their self confidence. She loves to travel, watch movies and has a special love for cafes, bakeries and book stores.
Christine Willett
Co-Founder, BollyX Fitness Instructor
Christine has immense love for both dance and fitness and shares it through teaching. With Thumak Dance, she combines both to make dance fitness a fun experience for her students. She is a certified BollyX Fitness instructor and loves to share her passion for fitness with her students. She also has a strong enthusiasm for dance and continues to learn new styles including Bollywood, Semi Classical Indian, Contemporary, Belly Dance, Ballroom and Dance Hall. Over the years, Christine has performed at venues including the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, the National Theater and abroad. When she's not dancing, she loves getting brunch and watching movies with her husband, son and cat.
Anjana Kumari
Virtual Kathak trainer from India
Anjana started her training at a very tender age and has a Post Diploma from Kathak Kendra (The National Institute of Kathak Dance), New Delhi under Pt Rajendra Gangani. She also holds Kathak Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. She has performed extensively in India and abroad in places like Singapore, Pakistan, Indonesia and Australia, Germany, UK, Romania, Georgia, Thailand, Netherlands, China, Turkey, Russia etc. She has worked with some eminent personalities in the dance world which includes Ms. Sharmistha Mukherjee, Kathak dancer, politician and daughter of the 13th President of India. She joined the Drishtikon Dance Foundation in July 2015 and has been since dancing as a repertory member. Apart from her education in dance Anjana also holds a Sangeet Prabhakar in Vocals and an M. A. in English.
Ishani Gandhi
Bollywood Dance Instructor
"If you aren’t dancing through life, you are missing its beat”, that’s Ishani’s mantra. Since her first performance at the age of 6, Ishani has explored all forms of dance from Indian classical dance to folk dances, jazz, tap, ballet, and modern dance. Through each dance form, she came to appreciate movement as a voice to be shared with the world. Ishani fuses her choreography with unique steps that enhance a dancer's ability to tap into their emotions and find joy in dance. As an instructor to young adults, her passion is to highlight the different cultures and stories of India by sharing traditional folk dances with the next generation! When she is not dancing, Ishani enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, reading, traveling, and calligraphy.
Saanvi Kakarlapudi
Bollywood Instructor
Saanvi started her Bollywood journey at the age of 4 and has fallen in love with Dance ever since. She has explored many styles of dance including Kuchipudi, Jazz, Ballet and Modern. Dance is her form of self expression and nothing makes her happier. She especially fell in love with Bollywood because of how colorful and expressive each song is. When choreographing, she loves to experiment with different dance styles because that's what makes Bollywood so much fun; it's an amalgamation of different dance styles from all around the world! She loves young kids and she hopes that kids at a young age can find their passions for dance just like she did.
Devanshi Sriranga
Bollywood Instructor
Devanshi has been learning Bollywood dance since she was four years old. She loves dancing and teaching others. Her favorite style of dance is definitely Bollywood because she feels like she can express herself in this dance form and the songs are so fun to dance to. In her choreography, she likes to include iconic steps from songs as well as adding fun new ones. Dancing also helps her exercise and let go of everyday stress. Devanshi enjoys going to new places with her family.
Tessa Goth
BollyX Instructor
Tessa has been a fitness instructor for over 20 years and firmly believes in moving everyday and doing what you love. She's a certified BollyX instructor and is so excited to be on our team! She's certified in Body Pump and Kickboxing as well. She grew up in Los Angeles and was part of a Polynesian Dance Group for 20 years. Tessa loves any type of activity but especially loves playing Beach Volleyball, Tennis and Golf. After having kids, she decided to become a fitness instructor and considers it the best decision she ever made. Apart from her love for fitness, she's a huge Harry Potter fan and in her down time, you’ll find her immersed in the HP universe.