Lakshmi Sriraman is a tradition-bearer, choreographer, educator, and cultural advocate whose work lives at the intersection of art, heritage, community, and contemporary expression. Rooted in the classical and folk traditions of South India, she brings these living art forms into Kentucky’s vibrant cultural landscape. As the founder and artistic director of Shree School of Dance in Lexington, she has guided generations of students through immersive training and solo graduation recitals, nurturing the next generation of cultural stewards. Her students have earned state and national recognition, including the prestigious National YoungArts Award.
Lakshmi was mentored in Bharatanatyam by revered masters, including Padma Shri Priyadarsini Govind and Padma Shri Bhagavatulu Seetharama Sharma. Her multidisciplinary training spans Carnatic vocal music, South Indian folk dances, Parai drumming, Kalaripayattu, Silambattam, and Therukoothu. Her creative repertoire—ranging from solo dance theater to interdisciplinary collaborations—has been presented both nationally and internationally and is widely recognized for weaving tradition with contemporary themes of identity, memory, and belonging.
Her outreach through workshops, performances, and lectures spans schools, universities, and community venues across Kentucky and beyond. She has curated Indian cultural events throughout the Bluegrass region and has served on several arts leadership boards, including LexArts, CivicLex, and the Bluegrass Indo-American Civic Society. A featured artist with the Kentucky Arts Council, she has received numerous honors and grants, including those from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Kentucky Arts Council, and the Sangeetha Sambhrama Trust in India. She co-founded GetHAAPI, a nonprofit advancing AAPI culture in Kentucky. She currently serves as Professor of Practice and Advisor at the School of Media at Sai University, India, and is the 2025-26 Guest Choreographer at the University of Kentucky Dance and Theater Department.
Lakshmi is also a Kentucky Crafted visual artist. Her distinctive abstract dot paintings are held in private and permanent collections, including at UK HealthCare. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her spouse, son, and their four-legged companion, Fibo.