dancer. choreographer. researcher.
Aparna Keshaviah is a Bharatanatyam dancer who distills the south Indian classical form to a more raw, expressive core—abstract postures, percussive footwork, and improvisation. Shedding myth and ornament, her choreography reveals precise movements and base states of being that transcend culture. Her modern reformulation of Bharatanatyam has captivated audiences around the U.S., India, and Italy.
As an Indian-American, Aparna’s life and dance are rooted in that hyphen of hybridity. In 2020, she began composing hybrid music for her contemporary Indian dance choreography, drawing on her training in Carnatic and choral singing, mridangam drumming, and classical piano. Her compositions have been commissioned and performed around North Carolina, and in collaboration with the world music group Free Planet Radio.
Off-stage, she leads public health and environmental health research, advising health entities at the national, state, and local levels on ways to better harness wastewater data to improve population health. This parallel endeavor allows her dance to remain a deeply personal and uncompromised pursuit.