Ritika Nagalamadaka has been learning the Kuchipudi dance under the tutelage of Smt. Padma Sonti for more than ten years. She is a passionate student and is very inspired and educated on the art form. As a student, she has performed in many Kuchipudi Kalakshetra ballets, such as Chenchu Lakshmi, Datta Darshanam, Hanuman Vaibhavam, and Diwali Ballet, as well as multiple Kuchipudi Annual Day performances. She has also performed at Telugu organization events such as TANTEX, NATS, TANA, AND NATA. She has also attended many workshops in the summer, learning new dances to perform.

Outside of dance, Ritika is a very busy high schooler, graduating in the top 10% of her class of 2020. She has played a pivotal role in her high school marching band, as both a talented bassoon player of six years and a captain of the colorguard/winterguard team, performing in many different competitions both in and out of state. She has also been a part of many student organizations such as NHS (National Honor Society) and HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), volunteering many hours in events in both groups. She also is a Girl Scout who has received her Gold Award, the highest achievement one can earn. Ritika also works as a soccer referee and at KD College Prep, a local test prep facility. To relax, she loves drawing as a self-taught artist, reading, watching TV and playing video games, hanging out with friends and walking and playing with her dog Lucky.

Ritika will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study Neuroscience to pursue her aspirations to become a doctor. She is planning to continue her dance career in the future and hopes you will enjoy her performance with Niha.

Ritika seeks all of your blessings on this incredibly important event as she continues her dance journey.