Smt. Sarada Hoffman, highly respected and renowned natyacharya at Kalakshetra for several decades, passed away at the age of 96 in California, USA, where she lived with her family. She was among the first students of Kalakshetra where she learnt from great acharyas. She played the lead role in most of Rukmini Devi’s dance productions and became her right hand in teaching dance to generations of students at the institution. She was a perfectionist, well versed in nritta and abhinaya, as well as the techniques and aesthetics of Bharatanatyam. She was a pillar in formulating the Kalakshetra style.

For her contribution to the art form, she was honoured by several prestigious organisations in India and abroad. She was the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1996. (https://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/public/uploads/awardees/docs/Sarada_Hoffman.pdf.)

The Music Academy honoured her with the title of Sangita Kala Acharya way back in 2008. Here is the text of the Citation printed in the Souvenir of The Music Academy in 2008.

The Music Academy mourns the passing of Smt Sarada Hoffman at 2.30 pm (US time) on 13 September 2025 at LA,California.