Nirmala Madhava, the chief choreographer at PAMPA Dance Academy, is proficient in both Bharatha Natyam and Kathak dance forms. She has a B.A. in dance from Bangalore University, India. Nirmala’s foundation in dance started at the age of eight from her guru (late) Smt. Lalitha Dorai and continued with (late) Smt. Narmada and Guru Udupi Lakshminarayan. She got theatrical experience and encouragement from Vidwan Shri Gopinatha Das, a doyen in the field of music and dance. In parallel, Nirmala also learned and mastered the Lucknow Gharana style of Kathak dance from Dr. Maya Rao of Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography in Bangalore, India. All her training, knowledge, flair and her own exploration into the traditional dance forms of Bharatha Natyam and Kathak, make Nirmala a very innovative choreographer. She has trained innumerable dancers all over the world and has been recognized as a master solo-performer.
Nirmala worked as visiting faculty of the Creative arts department at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. In the fall of 2010, Nirmala received a unique opportunity to work with world-renowned choreographer, Lawrence Pech. She trained a group of students to dance in San Francisco Opera’s production of Aida. She also was a panelist at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, which is acclaimed as the most significant dance festival of its type in North America. She has conducted several workshops for children in local Bay Area elementary, middle and high schools. She conducted cultural awareness programs at several Bay Area County libraries over the last 20 years.