Nrutyagarima was initially started by Mrs. Manali Patel, with the name Zankar Institute of Dance and Music. Mrs. Patel holds a Master’s degree in Bharatnatyam classical dance and has been the director of the Zankar Institute since then. The institute was initially started in 1989 as an academy of dance and music in Anand, India. Zankar Institute was well known for offering Bharatanatyam classes that followed the learners' conventional schedules. The Zankar group is now more than three decades old and has some outstanding activities to date.

Smt. Manali Patel was passionate and committed to learn and teach Bharatanatyam from a very young age. She was a student-teacher under her guruji’s guidance while studying advanced level Bharatanatyam. She was born an artist who created a variety of performing garba styles. She offered to teach various garba style workshops during Navratri season in the charoter area (Anand, VVNager, Nadiad). After earning her visharad degree (B.Mus.– in Bharatnatyam), Manali was appointed as a Director of the Zankar Institute of Dance and Music in 1989, in which music and dance class sessions were offered to all ages. Manali continued her study in Bharatnatyam and earned an Alankar, master’s degree (M.Mus.- Bharatnatyam). She has performed folk and classical dances on different level platforms in India and abroad (Tanzania, Singapore, Malaysia). She served as a juror in many competitions of garba, folk dances, and classical dances. About 125 students were trained in classical dance, and a few final-level students completed a full degree program with “Arangetram” (Rangamanch Arohan) under her guidance. Manali immigrated to the USA and continued teaching folk, garba, and classical dance to interested groups across many states in the USA. She has been teaching at the Mahagujarat Sangeet Samiti-accredited dance center in the USA. Students trained by Manali are offered to appear in the bharatnatyam degree certification program.

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