Recent Lectures & Performances

Asian Art Society of New England, Boston, MA, March 2006
Vibrations from India - a two-hour workshop consisting of lecture, slides, discussion, and performance, relating movement, content, and facial expression of Indian dance to temple sculpture.

Intensive Adavu Camp, Los Angeles, CA, August 2005
A Quick History of Indian Dance: What the Sculptures Tell Us
Sixty minute lecture with digital slide presentation, followed by Q&A session

Asian Pacific Heritage Day, Southern Company, Atlanta, GA, May 2005
Performance-demonstration on Ganesha, the elephant-faced Hindu god

The Politics and Economy of India, Freshman Seminar, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, April 2005
Political Art in India, 90-minute lecture/discussion surveying art related to politics in India's history, accompanied by slide presentation.

Gallery Instructor Training Series, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA, January 2005
Vibrations from India - a two-hour workshop consisting of lecture, slides, discussion, and performance, relating movement, content, and facial expression of Indian dance to temple sculpture.

Sivoham, Robert Ferst Theater, Atlanta, GA, December 2004
Participation in finale of two-hour dance drama of Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi, benefiting the Hindu Temple of Atlanta

Homage to Nataraja, Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, November 2004
Divinity in Dance - lecture on Indian dance's roots in Hindu temple compounds, accompanied by slide presentation and performance

Melavo, U.S. Educational Foundation in India Conference Banquet, Goa, India, February 2004
Performance-demonstrations illustrating pure movement, hand gestures and facial expression in Bharatha Natyam

Advanced Placement World History, Chattahoochee High School, Alpharetta, GA, November 2004
Guest lecture surveying religious art in India


Work Experience

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Summer 2006
Harvard Business School Summer Fellow
Executed special projects in programming, public relations, arts education, and marketing departments.

Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY, January-February 2005
Curatorial Assistant for Fatal Love, an exhibition of South Asian American art
Co-wrote and co-produced catalog and wall text, drafted guide for Education Department

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, June-August 2003
Curatorial Assistant for Indian art
Drafted and edited wall text for Himalayas exhibition, researched medieval and contemporary works

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, January 2002-June 2003
Curatorial Assistant for South and Southeast Asian Art
Researched medieval South Indian sculptures and wrote material for gallery talks


Education

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Candidate for MA in Business Administration, June 2007

U.S. Fulbright Scholarship, Chennai, India
Studied representations of dance in Chola temple art, interviewed scholars, researched and visited temple sites, and produced a collection of essays and photographs, December 2003-July 2004

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
BA, Magna Cum Laude, in Philosophy, Politics and Economics with minor in South Asia Regional Studies, 2001
Thesis: Good Government: A Convenient Answer to the Politics of Hindutva; With Distinction.
Studied Indian temple architecture under Dr. Michael Meister. Also took courses in Impressionism, Early Renaissance Italy, and Indian history.


Dance and Dance-Related Training

Advanced Bharatha Natyam and Adavu Recitation, Los Angeles, CA, Summer 2005 & 2006
Guru: Viji Prakash, Artistic Director of Shakti Dance Company

Advanced Nritta, pure movement, 2003-2005
Guru: Sasirekha Rammohan, student of Chitra Visweswara, Chennai, India, December 2003-July 2004
Peer Trainer: Anupa Mitra, student of Saroja Vaidyanathan, Atlanta, GA, February-August 2005

Thaalam and Nattuvangam, rhythmic cymbals and voice, February-August 2005
Guru: Gayatri Krishnamurthy, graduate of Nalanda Dance Research Center of Bombay, Atlanta, GA

Advanced Abhinaya, facial expression, February-July 2004
Guru: Priyadarsini Govind, student of Kalanidhi Narayanan and award-winning international performer, Chennai, India
Guru: Gopika Varma, Distinguished Mohini Attam performer, Chennai, India

Carnatic, South Indian classical, Voice, December 2003-July 2004
Guru: Sugandha Kalamegam, Distinguished Carnatic vocalist, Chennai, India

Hatha Yoga, December 2003-July 2004
Guru: Venkat Krishnan, practitioner of Bihar School of Yoga; Chennai, India

Bharatha Natyam Basics, 1985-1994
Guru: Sujaya Dixit, Atlanta, GA
Arangetram, solo two-hour graduation performance, September 1994; Over 200 attendees and included demonstrations on rhythm, facial expression and hand gestures

Workshops Attended

Natya Sastra Siksha, Chennai, India, April 2004 Guru: Padma Subrahmanyam, scholar of Margi, ancient prototype Indian dance Natya Sangraha, Thennangur, India, January 2004 Guru: C.V. Chandrasekhar

Expressional items in Bharatha Natyam sometimes portray a woman's relationship with her lover. Here, the dancer awaits the arrival of her beloved, day-dreaming about him until he comes.
Photo by G.K. Vale.

The mother of Krishna, the charming yet naughty child with divine qualities, is a popular role for an Indian dancer. The dancer in this picture playfully scolds her lovable baby boy. Photo by G.K. Vale.

Dances that tell a story sometimes begin with an event that grabs the attention of the dancer. Here, the dancer peers out of her window to see what all the commotion is about. Photo by G.K. Vale.

The Bharatha Natyam dancer is often a storyteller who relates a situation, usually involving her lover, to her friend. The dancer in this picture tries to gain her friend's support as she communciates her distress. Photo by G.K. Vale.

Scenes in which a dancer adorns herself often indicate that she is preparing for a significant event: the arrival of her lover, her wedding, or a religious festival. Photo by G.K. Vale.

Peacocks inspire a number of movements and poses in Bharatha Natyam, primarily becuase of their beauty, radiance, and role in Hindu mythology as the vehicle of Skanda, one of Lord Shiva's sons. Here, the dancer's hands depict the peacock's beak and tail, while the fan on the dancer's costume represents the various layers of feathers on the bird's body. Photo by G.K. Vale.