Bharata Natyam Trailblazers Share Legacy, Memory And Movement At Ektaa Event

By Arpita Banerjee

IRVINE, CA – For one afternoon in Irvine, five decades of Bharata Natyam history came alive on a single stage.

Ektaa Center’s ‘Dance Conversations: Five Decades. One Living Tradition,’ presented May 2 at the Lakeview Senior Center, brought together six pioneering Bharata Natyam gurus whose work helped establish and sustain the classical Indian dance form across the United States. Before a full house of more than 250, the artists shared memories, performance excerpts, and reflections on a lifelong relationship with dance.

The gathering was as much an artistic showcase as it was an act of remembrance – a tribute to the women who carried Bharata Natyam from Indian stages into American cultural life and built institutions that continue to shape generations of dancers.

Participating were Katherine Kunhiraman, Hema Rajagopalan, Rathna Kumar, Mythili Kumar, Viji Prakash, and Ramya Harishankar. Each was among the earliest in her region to found an institution dedicated to Bharata Natyam in the United States, after first building distinguished performance careers in India.

Together, they represent a foundational chapter in the history of Indian classical dance in America.

Throughout the afternoon, the artists shared archival photographs and video from earlier performances, tracing personal and artistic journeys that span more than half a century. They also performed a brief abhinaya piece, transforming the event from panel discussion into living demonstration.

There was a particular poignancy in watching artists whose careers have unfolded over decades continue to inhabit the emotional and expressive depth of Bharata Natyam with striking immediacy.

Katherine Kunhiraman reflected on the beginnings of Kalanjali School of Dance, which she and her husband K. P. Kunhiraman founded in Berkeley in 1975. Over fifty years, Kalanjali has become a cornerstone of the Bay Area’s dance landscape and a longtime presence at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.

That same year, Rathna Kumar founded Anjali School for Performing Arts in Houston, the first school of Indian dance in Texas. She offered a moving interpretation of the Annamacharya padam ‘Naakun Cheppare.’

Hema Rajagopalan revisited the expressive tradition of the Tamil padam ‘Yaarukahilum Bayama,’ drawing on training that began in childhood under devadasi guru Swarna Saraswathy. The dancer established Natya Dance Theater, in Chicago, Illinois, also in 1975 and has become a byword for dance in the area.

Mythili Kumar, who established Abhinaya School of Dance in Palo Alto in 1980, shared video excerpts of large-scale productions that revealed the breadth of her choreographic vision before performing the padam ‘Yentha Chakkani Vaade.’

For many in the audience, an emotional moment came when Viji Prakash danced to the javali ‘Sakhi Prana,’ accompanied live by Ramya Harishankar’s singing.

Harishankar herself chose not to present archival visuals, but her performance became its own statement. When she stepped forward to perform ‘Krishna Nee Begane Baro,’ the audience was treated to a deeply expressive rendering that reflected the rigor and artistry that have defined her work with Arpana School of Dance in Orange County since 1982.

The event was co-produced by Ektaa Center and Supriya Ghorpadkar, a student of Harishankar. Founded originally as Arpana Foundation in 1989 by Harishankar and her husband Harish Murthy, the organization later evolved into Ektaa Center, expanding its mission beyond dance into broader community engagement.

The afternoon concluded with remarks from 93-year-old musicologist Robert Garfias, who reflected on his memories of legendary dancer Balasaraswati, followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by Jennifer Fisher.

What made ‘Dance Conversations’ remarkable was not simply the rarity of seeing six eminent gurus together, but the sense of continuity embodied in the room. These artists were not being honored solely for past achievement. They remain active teachers, choreographers, performers, and mentors – still shaping the evolution of Bharata Natyam in America while remaining rooted in tradition.

(Banerjee is a tech entrepreneur and Indian classical vocal and dance enthusiast based in Los Angeles.)

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