SELECT SOLO PERFORMANCES:

- 2012 -

Lesley Ellis School (Arlington, MA)

- 2011 -

Nat’l Museum for Women in the Arts: Int’l Perspectives in PLAY (Washington, DC)

American Academy in Rome: Annual Concert for Trustees’ Week (Rome, ITALY)

- 2009 -

Devanritya Dance Ensemble (Hudson, WI)

- 2008 -

Hollins University: Congress on Research in Dance 41’st Annual Conference (Roanoke, VA)

- 2007 -

Folkmoot U.S.A. (Western NC)

Fulbright Conference (Maharashtra, INDIA)

- 2006 -

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Arts Week (Boston, MA)

Stonehill College: Asian-American festival (Easton, MA)

- 2005 -

Rivers School: Diversity in motion (Weston, MA)

Club Passim: Arabesque Mondays (Cambridge, MA)

- 2004 -

Emerson College: Cultural and diversity week (Boston, MA)

Brookline Community Center for the Arts: Summer gala faculty performance (Brookline, MA)

Fleet Bank: Asian heritage night (Boston, MA)

Peabody-Essex Museum (Salem, MA)

- 2003 -

M.I.T.: Raaga-Taala fundraiser for Association for India’s Development (Cambridge, MA)

Cambridge Center for Adult Education (Cambridge, MA)

- 2002 -

Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT): Int’l conference on science & meditation (Uttaranchal, INDIA)

Collage Dance Ensemble: Orient Dance Camp (Plymouth, MA)

North American Sankethi Association: Annual convention (New Windsor, MD)

- 2001 -

Harvard School of Public Health: International night (Boston, MA)

- 1996 -

Duke University: Diwali, Festival of lights (Durham, NC)

- 1995 -

The Himalayan Institute: 20th Annual Congress (Chicago, IL)

University of MN: State honors piano concert (Minneapolis, MN)

- 1994 -

Asian-American renaissance at Penumbra Theater Cabaret (St. Paul, MN)

MN State Fair (Minneapolis, MN)

- 1993 -

MN Indo community center: Minneapolis Indo summer fest (Minneapolis, MN) 

Hindu Society of MN: Diwali festival (Minneapolis, MN)

SELECT COMPANY PERFORMANCES:

- 2004 -

Sanchali: Bharatanatyam, A Step Apart (Cambridge, MA) — Artistic Director

- 2003 -

Navarasa Dance Theater: When Earth Sings, Plantation talas (Boston, MA) — Soloist

2000-2002

The Longwood Players (Boston, MA) — Featured Dancer/Singer

- 1999 -

Duke University Chorale: International tour (ITALY) — Soloist

1996-1997

Payal Dance Academy: Jai Shiva Shankar (Raleigh, NC) — Soloist

Duke University Chorale: International tour (CHINA) — Soloist

1992-1995

Ragamala Music and Dance Theater (Minneapolis, MN) — Soloist  

- 1990 - 

Nritya Jyoti Dance Inc.: Valli Kalyanam (Minneapolis, MN) — Lead Dancer

UPCOMING:  Bharatanatyam Workshop at Lesley Ellis School (Preschool through Kindergarten)

National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.)

Oct 22, 2011: International Perspectives in Play

“Kinetic Play” (Villa Aurelia, American Academy in Rome, Italy - May 2011)

with composer Paul Rudy (http://www.paulrudy.com)

Kinetic Play combines a morphing acoustic sonic environment with a South Indian Classical Dance structure to formulate a new hybrid.  Neither classically structured nor amorphous, it emerges from a basal communication between dancer and musician, both composing as they perform. 

http://oikost.com/2011/05/29/now-thats-dialogue/

Decoding the Modern Practice of Bharatanatyam 
(2007-2008 Fulbright in Dance, INDIA)

This graph depicts the strong linear relationship between knowledge and conservatism among Bharatanatyam teachers in India. The relationship was strongest among older, female teachers in Chennai who were no longer performing (black dots).  

Innovation (i.e. lack of conservatism) was significantly more likely to emanate from teachers who were knowledgeable about history, theory, and current events compared to those who are not.  

Bharatanatyam teachers living closer to Bharatanatyam’s historic center (i.e. in Chennai) were most likely to deny verifiable influences on Bharatanatyam from pioneering artists from northern India and Europe. 

Decoding the Modern Practice of Bharatanatyam 

(2007-2008 Fulbright in Dance, INDIA)

Bharatanatyam is not monolithic, yet a false narrative of ‘2,000 years of unbroken tradition’ is weighing heavily on the younger generation of dancers.  Fearing labels of inauthenticity, practitioners recycle staid vignettes to maintain the status quo.  In a few more generations, the diversity of niches in which Bharatanatyam is practiced will likely exponentially increase.  If Bharatanatyam is to survive, classical dancers must evolve and compete with modern influences like Bollywood.

M.I.T. Lebanese Red Cross Fundraiser (Cambridge, MA - 2006)

Bharatanatyam: A Step Apart (Cambridge, MA - 2004)

A 2-hour production that infused the customary Bharatanatyam Repertoire with contemporary analysis.  Staged by a troupe of 7 dancers and accompanied by a full south Indian orchestra.