Highlights of original works commissioned by the North Carolina Dance Festival and Dance ARĪS (Artist Residency in the Smokies). Set to original music — an electronic interpretation of a Hindu chant that captures the contrasting qualities of fierceness and beauty embodied by the goddess Devi.

“Im-Pulse” is an audience improvisation spotlighting the dynamic rhythmic cadences that emanate from the footwork of Bharatanatyam dance. Created for the 30th anniversary of the North Carolina Dance Festival.

Featuring two original choreographic works that premiered at the Asheville Fringe Festival. Matrabandh (“joining of elements”) highlights the abstract, layered components of Bharatanatyam dance — the rhythmic footwork, hand gestures, and neck and shoulder isolations — while Bhaja Govindam (“speak the name of the Lord”), based on the philosophical teachings of 8th century theologian Adi Shankaracharya , highlights the narrative storytelling (and is set to music my mother sang to me as a lullaby).

In 2016, I co-founded the Dance Artist Residency in the Smokies, or Dance ARĪS (pronounced "arise" to invoke the morning fog rising in the Smoky mountains). The residency, created by dancers, for dancers, was sponsored by the Haywood County Arts Council and brought diverse talent from around the U.S and Canada to the mountains of Western North Carolina. This video is a compilation of performances from the inaugural residency year., which took place at the Haywood Arts Regional Theater (HART) in Waynesville.