Tara Srinivasan
Author, Dancer, Dance Documentary Subject, Mental Health Advocate, Founder of PeakPower
ABOUT TARA
Tara is a rising high school junior and social entrepreneur inspired by an ethos around channeling diverse passions towards outsized societal impact. She is a passionate dancer with a decade of performances across multiple styles, from Bharatanatyam to numerous Western dance forms. At 14, she accomplished her Arangetram (solo dance performance for over 2.5 hours) and has performed at prestigious Indian temples in Guruvayur and Chidambaram where she was conferred the title "Illam Natya Narthagi." She is a member of Hyline, the award-winning Westlake High School varsity dance team.
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Tara has parlayed her passion for her lived experiences around dance into numerous impactful initiatives. She is the author of For I am Me and I am Strong, an illustrated children's book published by HarperCollins that showcases the importance of resilience and self-identity. Her journey of accomplishment in dance, along with themes of perseverance and embracing cultural diversity, has been portrayed in a soon-to-be-released documentary, Centerstage. Drawing upon the expansive personal benefits she has reaped from her personal journey with dance, Tara delivered a lecture-workshop on the power of dance on teen mental health at 2025 SXSW EDU to numerous educators and youth advocates. She has taught numerous dance camps from orphanages in tribal India with the Miracle Foundation to the Andy Roddick Foundation.
Tara is also one of the youngest to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2022 and Everest Base Camp in 2024. Inspired by the porters' role in helping her with this conquest, she founded PeakPower, a non-profit to support initiatives around porter education and gear to enhance their physical health.
BOOK - For I am Me and I am Strong
A HarperCollins publication
Tara loved to dance, at home with her brothers, on stage at weddings, or in sparkly costumes to popular hits of the season. She soon took formal lessons in jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and Bharatanatyam, an ancient classical Indian dance full of stories about ancient gods and mythical worlds. But growing up in Texas, in a world far away from her Indian roots, embracing the styles of dual cultures proved challenging. Bharatanatyam, in particular, felt too hard and different.
So Tara came close to quitting Bharatanatyam. But she didn’t.
Tara kept going day after day and week after week with both Bharatanatyam and Western dances. Gradually, she discovered that Bharatanatyam actually made her better at all styles. Her movements became more fluid, her expressions more powerful, and her confidence on stage grew. Finally, after ten years of training, as she completed her signature three-hour solo debut performance called an Arangetram, she found her strength and her identity, and in the process, a powerful linkage between her two worlds.
Filled with vivid illustrations of graceful poses, bold expressions, and colors of multiple cultures, For I am Me and I am Strong tells the inspiring story of a girl who never gave up and persevered to become what she calls an Indian ballerina and an American Bharatanatyam dancer. She proved to herself and to the world that she was not a quitter.
That she could do anything. For she was Tara and she was strong.
DOCUMENTARY - CenterStage
This inspiring documentary follows Tara Srinivasan over a decade as she navigates her journey of self-discovery through dance. Growing up in Austin, Texas, raised by Indian immigrant parents who instilled in her the importance of her cultural heritage. From mastering the ancient art of Bharatanatyam to her pursuit of excellence in a wide variety of Western dance forms starting as a 5-year-old, Tara’s story is a testament to resilience, authenticity, and embracing dual identities.
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The documentary features rich, vibrant footage of Tara’s milestone Arangetram performance, a three-hour solo dance showcase with a live orchestra, to her mesmerizing dances in magical temples in Guruvayur and Chidambaram, India. These culturally rich scenes are juxtaposed with her pulsating jazz and hip-hop performances, capturing how Tara seamlessly switches between Indian and Western styles.
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Through intimate interviews with family, teachers, and Tara herself, the film paints a comprehensive picture of Tara as she reveals how she overcame early reluctance toward Bharatanatyam and embraced both her cultural heritage and her American upbringing. The documentary highlights the striking contrast between her life in Austin—school, friends, and busy routines—and her newfound ability to comfortably navigate the life of a dancer in signature Indian locations.
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Ultimately, this film celebrates how dance not only helped Tara find balance and strength but also became a powerful tool for mental health and mindfulness. By sharing her experiences, Tara inspires young viewers to persevere through challenges, stay true to their passions, and embrace their authentic selves. Her story is a beautiful reflection on what it means to dance through life.
DANCER, VARIOUS STYLES (2015 - PRESENT)​
Through perfecting both Indian Classical dance and American dance, Tara has been a member of different teams and delivered numerous solo performances. Since 2015, she has trained in Bharatanatyam, culminating in her Arangetram (a demanding three-hour solo performance) at the age of 14. She has delivered 90-minute solo performances at prestigious temples in India, including Guruvayoor and Chidambaram, and was awarded the title "Illya Natya Narthagi." In Western dance, she has studied ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, and contemporary since 2014 at Alisa’s Dance Academy, where she performed with the top company, Austin Dance Elite. She then earned a place on Westlake High School’s award-winning dance team, Hyline, as a freshman and currently serves as a board member. Tara also shares her passion through teaching, choreographing, and leading dances. She taught girls at The Miracle Foundation orphanage in rural India and worked with youth at the Andy Roddick Foundation in East Austin. In recognition of her commitment, she was named Top Student Teaching Assistant at Alisa’s Dance Academy in 2021–22.
FOUNDER, PEAKPOWER (2023 - PRESENT)
Tara is one of the youngest to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2022 and Everest Base Camp in 2024. Inspired by the porters' role in helping her with this conquest, she launched a non-profit to empower the porters and their families around Kilimanjaro. PeakPower aims to support initiatives around porter education and gear to enhance their physical health. For more information, click HERE to access the PeakPower website.
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PASSION PROJECTS
DANCE EDUCATION & TEEN MENTAL HEALTH:
Tara Srinivasan’s advocacy for teen mental health is deeply personal, rooted in her own journey of discovering emotional resilience through dance. Blending Western and Indian classical forms, Tara found that movement was not only a source of joy but also a powerful anchor to her cultural identity. Dance became her therapy, an expression of emotion, discipline, and mindfulness, and she soon recognized its impact reached far beyond herself.
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SXSW WORKSHOP:
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Click HERE to view a Slideshare on Tara demonstrating how Bharatanatyam can be effective in supporting teen mental health, at the Wonderful India festival, and click HERE to see a performance Tara did to kids in East Austin about Bharatanatyam and all of its aspects at Leap of Joy fesival
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​THE KINDNESS CAMPAIGN - Kindness Leader
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Tara has been a part of The Kindness Campaign's Kind Leadership program since 2023. In 2025, she won the annual pitch competition Summit.
From teaching orphans of tribal India to underprivileged children in her own community, Tara witnessed how dance uplifted youth across backgrounds. These lived experiences inspired her mission: to highlight how joy, mindfulness, and empowerment through dance can address universal teen mental health challenges. Whether teaching Bharatanatyam to children in rural villages or leading expressive sessions in underserved neighborhoods of East Austin, Tara believes in dance as a tool for healing, connection, and enhancing self-worth.
Tara's work reached a global audience when she presented “Jive to Thrive” at SXSW EDU, a 90-minute workshop on how dance can improve teen mental health. Her session was one of only 187 selected from over 1,500 global applications.
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