For the very first time, on May 2, 2026, six Bharata Natyam dance artists came together for Dance Conversations – Five Decades. One Living Tradition. Organized by Ramya Harishankar and presented by the Ektaa Center, these now revered, older dancers, choreographers and teachers of the South Indian classical dance form, spoke, performed, showed slides, and presented film clips from their choreography. It was an evening rich with Indian culture and for someone with limited experience of the artform, extremely informative. The Clarence Nedom Auditorium at the Lakeview Senior Center in Irvine was filled with people of Indian heritage and one could see and feel their appreciation of this landmark event.
The evening was a combination of lectures and performances. Each artist gave a brief biographical background, and although all but one were born in India and their paths did cross there, each had a unique story to tell. All six of them were wonderful to watch and my only disappointment was that I did not have a better understanding of the Indian language when the many titles and terms flew were described. My knowledge, however, of Bharata Natyam grew with each of the presentations but it would take far more space than I have here to write about what took place on this marvelous evening.
The program opened with a short introduction by Ramya Harishankar, Artistic Director of the Arpana Dance Company in Irvine. She mentioned that this was the first time such an event had taken place for these six women and how excited they all were to be there.
Dance Conversations – Katherine Kunhiraman – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
First up was Katherine Kunhiraman who teaches Kalanjali Dances of India in Berkeley, CA. and who opened with “I was an east coast girl.” Kunhiraman first traveled to Calcutta in 1963 to study Indian dance and in 1966 moved to Kalakshetra before relocating to Berkeley in 1970 where built a vibrant career as a performer and educator. As she spoke, projections of her concise notes, drawings and videos were shown a movie screen. Kunhiraman’s father was an artist and she inherited his talents; drawing and making her own costumes, sets and jewelry for the performances she choreographed and produced. One necklace, she explained, was made out of baby food jars.
Kunhiraman was unable to perform but gave a detailed account of her life, studies, and the many esteem Indian artists she brought together in the Bay Area.
Dance Conversations – Rathna Kumar – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
Born and trained in India, Rathna Kumar found herself living with her husband in Houston, Texas. Though hard work and persistence, Kumar slowly built a following of students interested in studying Bharata Natyam and through the years trained them as performers and choreographers. Kumar also showed slides and was able to perform excerpts of a few Indian dances. She is currently teaching at the Anjali Center for Performing Arts in Houston.
Dance Conversations – Hema Rajagopalan – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
Hema Rajagopalan, Founder and Artistic Director of the Natya Dance Theatre in Chicago, Ill. was a child prodigy in India. At age 6, she was performing her first Arangetram (debut performance). These solo performances are known to last at least two hours and portray adult themes.
Rajagopalan became very well known in India and the videos she presented made it very clear why. Her dancing was astonishing, especially the speed and accuracy of her arm and head movements, along with very fast foot work. Rajagopalan spoke about her love of collaborating with other dance style choreographers and mentioned that she worked together with dancer/choreographer/educator Shirley Mordine who founded and led the Dance program at Columbia College Chicago. Though age has slowed her down, Rajagopalan’s performance made it apparent why she was revered in India.
Dance Conversations – Mythili Kumar – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
Mythili Kumar, Artistic Director of the Abhinaya Dance Company in San Jose, CA., chose a different order for her presentation. She did not begin with her history of growing up in India but opted to perform a beautiful and loving tribute to her husband who has always supported her career both financially and personally. She then described her more recent accomplishments as we watched photo slides and videoed performances on the screen. One of her works was a tribute to the famous Indian activist and leader, Mahatma Ghandi. It was only then that she informed the audience of her early years of training and performing in India.
Dance Conversations – Viji Prakash – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
Kumar was followed by Viji Prakash, Founder, Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Shakti Dance Company in Los Angeles who interjected humor into the evening by beginning to dance a section only to abruptly stop. Her acting and comedic timing was perfect. Stating that she could no longer physically perform the traditional solo, Prakash explained that all her life’s experience helped her create a new interpretation. To make her solo even more special, Prakash asked her friend and colleague Ramya Harishankar to accompany her by singing the javali, a light classical love song. Prakash’s movements were small but her strength as a performer along with Harishankar’s delicate but beautiful singing, brought the house down.
Dance Conversations – Ramya Harishankar – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
The first five artists performed in a small area in front of the curtain but following her telling of her life in India and her 40 years of bringing Bharata Natyam dance to the US, Ramya Harishankar, the Artistic Director of Arpana Dance Company in Irvine utilized the entire stage for the performance part of her presentation. Harishankar performed a solo to a poem by 16th Century poet Kanakadasa, a devotee of Krishna titled Krishna Nee Begane Baro. She is an amazing performer who manages to tell an entire story with her facial expressions while expertly executing traditional Bharata Natyam gestures and footwork. Harishankar’s solo was a great way to end the performances.
Dance Conversations – Dr. Robert Garfias – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
There was a brief statement by Dr. Robert Garfias, an American ethnomusicologist and musicologist who spoke about how and why he became infatuated with the music and the dance style known as Bharata Natyam.
Though the evening was rather long and the chairs uncomfortable, I am more than thrilled that I attended Dance Conversations – Five Decades. One Living Tradition. Let’s hope that these great artists share this experience as often as possible. If they appear near you, do not hesitate to go.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Dance Conversations Q&A – (L-R) Jennifer Fisher (Professor of Dance at UC Irvine), Katherine Kunhiraman, Rathna Kumar, Hema Rajagopalan, Ramya Harishankar, Viji Prakash, Mythili Kumar – Photo by Subathra Vijayaragavan.
