dancer. choreographer. researcher.
As an American-born daughter of south Indian immigrants, I value hybridity in dance and in life.
My choreography is rooted in the traditional south Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, but modernized so that contemporary audiences can more deeply engage. I deconstruct the form, teasing apart its tightly woven layers. Percussive footwork is isolated and played like an instrument, creating an improvised dialogue with musicians. Abstracted gestural storytelling extends beyond place, culture and mythology to convey stories about the human condition.
In parallel to expanding the classical into contemporary, I expand data and analytics as a Principal Researcher and Director of Wastewater Research at Mathematica — a career that has allowed dance to remain a sacred, artistic pursuit, free from commercial pressures.