ARTIST BIO

Sri Thina Subramaniam

Sri Thina Subramanian, (www.srithina.com) recognised for creating work that focuses on two distinct dance styles, Bharatanatyam and Odissi. Her graceful movements and strong expressional presentation as a classical dancer allows for a fluid transition from storytelling in Hindu Mythology to storytelling in today's societal issues. Her work aims to champion diversity in the arts and inspire people from different walks of life. Her passion is to create work that contributes something vital, beautiful, current and urgent to the world with dance and performance. Her current work gravitates towards examining the influence these two dance styles impose on each other and shedding light on the union and fusion of these styles, an area to be explored.

Sri Thina in her career has been very fortunate to have worked with numerous collaborators, choreographers, and companies both locally and internationally. This includes Mavin Khoo, rehearsal director at Akram Khan Company, and Shobana Jeyasingh. Since moving to the states she has also produced, collaborated and curated multiple productions and festivals including the San Francisco West Wave Dance Festival (CA), Drive East Festival (NY), and The Varnam Salon (NY).

Her passion is to create work that contributes something vital, beautiful, current and urgent to the world with dance and performance. She aims to champion diversity in the arts and inspire people from different walks of life. Promoting young talent is a cornerstone of her work today. She involves young dancers,  composers, musicians, and performance directors in the process, exposing them to the possibilities of breaking boundaries and creating works that enhance their personal and professional development. She continues her creative journeys by committing to continuously improving the richness of the performance landscape.

Srinidhi Raghavan

Srinidhi Raghavan (www.srinidhiraghavan.com) started learning Bharatanatyam nearly thirty years ago and has performed globally over the decades. Born into a family of dancers, she was exposed to Bharatanatyam early on and formally started learning the art from her mother and guru, Usha Raghavan, and from guru, Malathy Thothadri at the age of four. She had her arangetram in Chennai in 1998 and her experiences with dance have spanned several cultures and countries, including those of the UK, Switzerland, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Barbados, Canada, the US and of course India, during the prestigious December festivals in Chennai. Known for her "precise nritta and apt abhinaya" (The Hindu) she is also recognized for her innovative choreographies and original works, which often explore contemporary themes via traditional Bharatanatyam pieces. Srinidhi's wide and extended exposure has added an eclectic element to her delivery which, when combined with her traditional style, results in a unique reflection of elegance and experience. Critics have described Srinidhi as "a strong woman, so relaxed and confident that performing her intricate dance is a breeze, as easy to sing as a lullaby..."

One of her first co-productions - Her Story, a dance drama that explores the notion of unconditional love - went on global tour in 2009 and received rave reviews across 9 international cities. One of her recent solo productions - Voices - premiered in London in September 2016 to a sold-out audience, and her subsequent release in New York City in February 2017 was also sold-out and received critical acclaim. She has since taken this production to Paris, Rome and Chennai. Her next co-production - The Mirror - was a Bharatanatyam based video series that explored social issues such as gender bias, mental health and displacement; this series premiered in October 2017 and subsequently went viral online. She also produced and performed inTat Tvam Asi, a cross continental effort and a thematic Bharatanatyam performance choreographed by Usha Raghavan, that premiered in the USA in October 2018 in the Bay Area, California, and in Manhattan, New York. Most recently, in 2022, she choreographed and performed Samkhya - the union of two, a thematic presentation on the union of the female and male, in Houston, Texas. Srinidhi is a graduate of Columbia University and also holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She currently lives and works in New York City and continues to perform globally, both in her own productions and via various collaborations.

Nitya Narasimhan

Nitya Narasimhan is a well known Bharatanatyam artist currently based in California, USA. As the artistic director of "Prayukti Arts," she actively fosters a community for Indian arts in the Bay Area, curating and engaging in educational initiatives, performances, and community events. Nitya is currently pursuing bharatanatyam training with Smt Shweta Prachande. Her training began at the age of 4 and she spent her formative years learning under Guru Suma Mani, Chennai. Embracing dance professionally, she honed her skills further with Guru Rukmini Vijayakumar of Raadha Kalpa Dance Company in Bangalore. SAdditionally, she received mentorship in Marga-Nritta Karanas from Smt Vithya Arasu and is currently undergoing Nattuvangam training under the guidance of mridangist Dr. G.V. Guru Bharadwaaj.

Beyond her dedication to Bharatanatyam, Nitya's passion for movement and dance led her to pursue the Post Diploma program in Movement Arts and Media at the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, where she graduated with honors. Complementing her dance expertise, she also delved into the Art of Teaching at the Iyengar Institute of Yoga in San Francisco. She regularly performs in various podiums and dance festivals both in the US as well as India and is a seasonal performer in the Chennai Margazhi dance festivities. Nitya firmly believes in upholding the traditional values of Bharatanatyam, while also acknowledging its problematic past, working with its rich present, and being open to its evolving future. Her commitment to the art form extends beyond its technical aspects, encompassing its cultural and historical significance as well. With a deep understanding of the complex dynamics at play, she strives to honor the tradition while also pushing boundaries and exploring new possibilities for its expression. Through her approach, she embodies the spirit of innovation and evolution that is essential for any art form to thrive and remain relevant.

Kirtana Krishnan

Kirtana Krishnan has been learning Bharatanatyam for 13 years under the guidance of her guru, Smt. Chitra Ramaswamy at Sanskriti School of Dance, and is also being mentored by Sri Shijith Nambiar. Over the years, she has enjoyed playing lead roles and performing in places such as London, San Diego, and New York as part of her guru's productions. She has also received awards from many notable competitions such as the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Competition, NJNS, Saptami, and other local competitions. Kirtana completed her arangetram in 2019 and has since performed for venues such as Navatman, NatyaAkademi, the Philly Youth Dance Festival, and college cultural events. She is currently a third year student at Northeastern University studying computer science and cognitive psychology.