Mythili Kumar is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She performs the Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi styles of Indian classical dance. [1] Founder of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose [2] [3] and she is a lecturer in dance at University of California, Santa Cruz. [4]
As founder and Director of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose since 1980, [1] [5] she has trained and presented over one hundred dancers in their solo debuts and has collaborated extensively with several multi-cultural organizations. [6] She has also taught classes at San Jose State University and Stanford University. [4]
Kumar's two daughter's, Rasika and Malavika are active in the dance company and have been trained in classical Indian dance since age 4. [7]
Collaborative performances include:
In 2010 she was awarded the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award by San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. [6] Kumar received the choreographer's fellowships from 1989 until 1993 and a teacher's recognition certificate in 1998 from the National Endowment for the Arts. [4]
Odissi, also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India. Odissi, in its history, was performed predominantly by women, and expressed religious stories and spiritual ideas, particularly of Vaishnavism through songs written and composed according to the ragas & talas of Odissi music by ancient poets of the state. Odissi performances have also expressed ideas of other traditions such as those related to Hindu deities Shiva and Surya, as well as Hindu goddesses (Shaktism).
Mohiniyattam is an Indian classical dance form originating from the state of Kerala. The dance gets its name from Mohini – the female enchantress avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who helps the devas prevail over the asuras using her feminine charm.
Sonal Mansingh is an Indian classical dancer and Guru in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing style. She has been nominated by the President of India to become a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. She is the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan in 2003.
Neila Sathyalingam was a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. An alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale, she emigrated with her family to Singapore in 1974. In 1977 she and her husband founded the performance arts company Apsaras Arts, which has staged performances throughout the world. She was the company's artistic director and continued to teach dance.
Chitresh Das was a classical dancer of the North Indian style of Kathak. Born in Calcutta, Das was a performer, choreographer, composer and educator. He was instrumental in bringing Kathak to the US and is credited with having established Kathak amongst the Indian diaspora in America. In 1979, Das established the Chhandam School of Kathak and the Chitresh Das Dance Company in California. In 2002, he founded Chhandam Nritya Bharati in India. There were ten branches of Chhandam worldwide. Until his death in 2015, Das taught dance as a way of life, a path for attaining self-knowledge and as a service to society.
Uma Sharma is a kathak dancer, choreographer and teacher. She is also runs the Bharatiya Sangeet Sadan, Delhi, a classical dance and music academy, situated in New Delhi, founded by her father in 1946. She is most known for reviving the old classical dance form of Natwari Nritya or the Raslila of Brindavan, which later evolved into the Kathak.
Erika Chong Shuch is an American theatrical performer, director, choreographer, and educator based in San Francisco, California. Her work has appeared on stages in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, DC, and Seoul, South Korea.
Darshana Jhaveri, the youngest of the four Jhaveri sisters, is a leading Indian exponent of Manipuri dance, an Indian classical dance form. She is a disciple of Guru Bipin Singh, and started performing on stage in 1958 along with her sisters. She is one of the founders of the Manipuri Nartanalaya in 1972, which popularized Manipuri dance in India, and is currently headed by her, with centres at Mumbai, Kolkata and Imphal.
Kalanidhi Narayanan was an Indian dancer and teacher of Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, who was the early non-devadasi girl to learn the dance form and perform it on stage in the 1930s and 1940s. After a brief career in the 1940s, she returned to dance in 1973 and became a notable teacher of abhinaya.
Sharmila Biswas is a leading dancer, choreographer and Teacher in the field of Indian Classical Dance. She is recognized for her considerable contribution to Odissi Classical Dance which brought many changes in the Content, Technique and Costumes. Tracing the many facades of Traditional Performing and Visual arts of Odisha, and in that context viewing Odissi Dance have been the foundation of most of her Dance productions. A prominent deciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee (2012), Sharmila Biswas heads Odissi Vision & Movement Centre (1994), a well-known institution dedicated to Research, Training and Productions. Graded as an ‘Outstanding’ artiste by The Indian Council of Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. Of India. Graded as one of the ‘Top’ artists by Doordarshan, India. In 2012, Biswas was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.
Rohini Bhate was among the senior most Kathak dance exponents in India, who developed as a performer, teacher, writer, researcher and critic this Indian classical dance. During her career, she was awarded with several recognitions, such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Kalidas Samman.
Based in San Jose, California, sjDANCEco is a contemporary dance company founded in 2003 by artistic directors Gary Masters and Maria Basile, and Melanie Doerner. The sjDANCEco is in residence at the San Jose State University.
The Djerassi Artists Residency, also known as the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, is an artists and writers residency in San Mateo County, California, south of Woodside. The residency sits on a 583-acre former cattle ranch with a 12-sided barn converted into artist studios. Djerassi hosts 10 to 12 artists at a time for its month-long residencies, from March to November. The facilities include lodging with chef-prepared weekday dinners, living quarters, the Artists’ Barn and Old Barn. Djerassi is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains less than 40 miles south of San Francisco and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Since Djerassi began, it has provided over 2,500 residencies to visual artists, composers, choreographers, media artists, writers and scientists from all 50 states and 54 countries. In addition, the Djerassi Hiking Program provides public access to the property and has expanded to include private hikes and specialty excursions, such as a five-hour walking meditation and sound immersion experience. An annual open house event allows visitors to explore the facilities, go on sculpture tours, meet the artists and enjoy performances. The residency has a dual mission: to enhance the creativity of artists and to preserve the land on which the program is situated.
Sunayana Hazarilal Agarwal is an Indian classical dancer, known for her expertise in the classical dance form of Kathak and reportedly the only surviving practitioner of the Janakiprasad Gharana of Kathak, also known as Banares Gharana. The Government of India honored her in 2011, with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri.
Geeta Chandran is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer and vocalist. Trained in Carnatic music, she is a visionary and celebrated artist in Indian classical Bharatanatyam, recognized for her work in theatre, dance, education, videos and films.
Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma (1935–2012), popularly known as Satyam, was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, considered by many as one of the leading exponents of the classical dance form of Kuchipudi. He was known for his portrayal of female characters such as Usha, Satyabhama, Deva Devi, Mohini, Sasirekha and Gollabhama (Gollakalapam). He was a recipient of several honors including Kalidas Samman, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 1970, for his contributions to Dance.
Kathleen Hermesdorf was a dancer, teacher, choreographer, improviser, producer, and curator, born in Wisconsin, USA, and a long-time resident of San Francisco.
Gopika Varma is a Kerala born Mohiniyattam dancer and dance teacher who is settled in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award and Kalaimamani.