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 Ektaa Center & the Arpana Dance Company present Dance Conversations Five Decades, One Living Tradition May 2, 2026, Irvine, CA April 4, 2026 ‘Dance Conversations’ is a public performance and dialogue to be held on Saturday, May 2nd hosted by the Ektaa Center & the Arpana Dance Company @ 5pm at the Clarence Needham Auditorium at the Lake view Senior Center, Irvine, CA 92604. There will be a pre-event reception from 4-5pm. Ektaa is a 501(c) 3 organization recognized by the city of Irvine and celebrates the arts and culture of India and has a long history of serving the extended community in So. California. Dance Conversations will feature six premier Bharatanatyam teachers and torchbearers in the United States. Bharatanatyam, one of the many classical dance forms of India, has gained global recognition for its rich history, expressive storytelling, and rigorous technique. The featured artists collectively represent more than five decades of sustained artistic practice, pedagogy, and cultural leadership within the South Asian diaspora. Each artiste will present a short solo performance accompanied by a personal narrative reflecting on their artistic journey. These presentations will be followed by a talk-back session with the audience, led by dance historian Jennifer Fisher. The goal of this project is not only to present Bharatanatyam as a living classical art form, but also to honor, document, and preserve the history and evolution of the form in the United States.  The six artistes are - Katherine Kunhiraman (Berkeley) who arrived in India at age 18 with her family, having lived for art - theatre, history, religion, found many of these addressed in Bharatanatyam. And since 1975, wide-spread performances, school demonstrations, and teaching, watching the Indian community grow and enrich the multicultural flavor of the United States. Rathna Kumar, an internationally renowned performer, teacher, choreographer, arts educator and published author, established the first Indian dance institute, Anjali Center for Performing Arts, in 1975, Her prodigious contribution to classical dance and community outreach have earned her many awards and citations. Hema Rajagopalan is the Founder Artistic Director of Natya Dance Theatre founded in 1975 in Chicago. She is a dancer, teacher and choreographer of international repute, committed to preserving and developing the art in new directions for diverse audiences. Mythili Kumar is the founder and artistic director of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose. Under her direction, Abhinaya Dance Company has staged several productions including themes of social justice through the experiences of Cesar Chavez (Si Se Puede – 2017, 2019), and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (I Have a Dream – 2019). Viji Prakash established the Shakti School of Bharatanatyam and its performance wing, Shakti Dance Company in Los Angeles in 1977. A distinguished figure in the world of dance, Prakash has been honored with several awards, Viji was also awarded the UCLA/Indonesia Arts Education Residency Fellowship by UCLA’s Center for Intercultural Performance to conduct Bharatanatyam workshops and stage performances in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ramya Harishankar has performed worldwide as a soloist and with her company, Arpana. The annual productions have raised nearly $200K for charities. Besides conducting workshops in N. America, Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe, she has co-convened 4 seminars on Indian dance and curated over 50 Indian dance performances by visiting artistes. For more details or information about the Ektaa Center call Harish Murthy at (949) 300-8912 or visit ektaacenter.org. |
