Lakshmi Swaminathan is a captivating dancer dedicated to the style of Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form from Southern India. She trained under Guru Thankamani Kutty, Director of Kalamandalam, Calcutta - one of the premier dance institutions of India. She has performed in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and in the United States. She was a graded artist for Doordarshan Kendra, a primary television channel in India. Lakshmi was a resident teacher/performer for Mrittika Arts, a non-profit organization based in Coventry, UK. During her tenure, she had the honor of performing for the then Minister for Arts, Mr. Timothy Renton. She has also appeared in the BBC.

She has taught, performed, and conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations in the New York area. As a member of the group Caravan, she worked for the New York Chapter of the Young Audiences, a national group of Arts in Education. Lakshmi has worked with other artists to develop multicultural programs for students of all ages across the New York City Public School system. She has been the Artist-in-residence for the New Jersey Council in Arts.

She currently resides and teaches in Bethesda, Maryland at her dance school, Natananjali School of Dance. Lakshmi is on the roster of artists for Young Audiences of Maryland and The Humanities Project, Arlington County Schools. She performs in school assemblies and conducts workshops, through these organizations thereby sharing the rich culture of India with the students.

Also an excellent teacher and choreographer, she creates works of visual delight. Lakshmi has choreographed several folk dances and dance-dramas featuring her students along with her, notable among them being 'Raas-Leela" for Kolkata Doordarshan (television channel) in Kolkata, India.

She served on the board of Indian Dance Educators Association (IDEA) as its secretary for the years 2003-2005.