[4] In June 1952, at the age of eight, she was sent to Kalakshetra, where she later graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Bharatanatyam with distinction and also trained in Kathakali and Carnatic music.

They have said that whatever they have been able to achieve is due to the mentoring of their Gurus Rukmini Devi Arundale and Chandu Panicker as well as various other faculty members of Kalakshetra such as NS Jayalakshmi and Sarada Hoffman.

Though Shanta was a student completely devoted to her dance and music, she had secretly made up her mind, at the age of twelve, to partner Dhananjayan in life.

It is still active today with the classes recently shifted to Taramani, their current school at The Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu.

[11] The Dhananjayans have been conducting an annual summer gurukulam camp at the Satchidananda Ashram, Yogaville in Buckingham County, Virginia, USA, since 1988.

Developed by the Natya Adyayana Gurukulam, the camp is an intensive, full-time residential course devoted entirely to the fine arts.