Mythili Kumar is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She performs the Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi styles of Indian classical dance. [1] She is the founder of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose [2] [3] and 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] Kumar 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 daughters, 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, Kumar was awarded the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award by San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. [6] She 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]