Smt. Thejaswini Raj mastered the Kaattumanar Koil Muthukumaran Pillai style of Bharathanatyam under the guidance of her father. Her father, the late Guru Shri S.V. Srinivasan, was a direct disciple of Sri. Muthu(k)kumaran Pillai, one of the founding teachers of Kalashetra. She continued her training under the tutelage of other renowned gurus of South India in the Pandanallur style. She is known for her intricate and exquisite choreography. She underwent formal training in Rhythm (Laya) under the guidance of Sri. A. R. Balaskandan, a renowned teacher of Mridangam, Ganjira and Violin in New York, for several years and incorporates this knowledge in all her choreography. 

                Her students have won many dance competitions and performed in venues across India, Europe & America. Prominent students include Meenakshi Seshadri, Sunanda Nair, Anandi Ramachandran, and Rajeshwari Sachdev. Her students in NY and NJ have performed at various prestigious venues like the Lincoln Center, NY, World Conference of Music and Dance, California, and the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival. Her productions, Devi Bhagavatham and Sri Krishna Geetham were performed and widely appreciated in the Tri-State area. 

               Shiva Jyothi Dance Academy has branches in Queens (New York), as well as in Cranbury and Parsippany (New Jersey).