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California-based Bharatanatyam artist Rasika Kumar returns to stage
Rasika Kumar seeks to bring to life the inherited images and myths that she, as an Indian American artist, was granted.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 04, May 2026
- 04:54 EDT
- 29
Poster of the event / Abhinaya Dance Company
Rasika Kumar, a Silicon Valley–based Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer, will present a solo performance, 'Trikaala: Then, Now, Becoming', at the Cubberley Theater in Palo Alto, California, marking her return to the arangetram stage three decades after her debut, in an exploration of tradition, lineage, and identity as an Indian American artist.
California-based Rasika Kumar seeks to bring to life the inherited images and myths that she, as an Indian American artist, was granted. Bringing forth a solo dance performance on May 9, Kumar seeks to honor traditions through her upcoming event.
Organized by San Jose-based Abhinaya Dance Company, the ticketed event, ‘Trikaala: Then, Now, Becoming,’ will feature Rasika Kumar returning with a solo performance in an arc intentionally aligned to the foundational dance routine of the arangetram. An Arangetram is the debut full-length solo performance of a Bharatanatyam dancer.
Thirty years after her own arangetram, a dance recital that represents a carefully structured arc and has long served as a measure of accomplishment and readiness, Kumar will bring back the same arc to her performance.
Talking about the performance, Abhinaya Dance Company noted on its website, “Thirty years after her arangetram, and as she begins teaching her own children, questions of lineage and inheritance come into sharp focus: How do we honor tradition while remaining honest about who we are today, and what do we choose to carry forward?”
They continue, “As Indian American practitioners, we often embody temples we have not seen, rituals we have not lived, and stories inherited across oceans and generations.”
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Kumar’s performance seeks to bring these inherited images and myths back to life through personal connection.
The performance by Kumar will be held at the Cubberley Theater and will feature live musical support from Asha Ramesh, a celebrated vocalist from San Jose renowned for her versatility and mastery of Carnatic music, on vocals; Malavika Walia, a senior company dancer, choreographer and teacher for the Abhinaya Dance Company, on nattuvangam; Ashwin Krishnakumar, a trained Carnatic flutist; Sruti Sarathy, a leading Carnatic musician and violinist; and Amit Ranganathan on mridangam.
Rasika Kumar is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer based in Silicon Valley, California.
She trained under her mother, Mythili Kumar, artistic director of Abhinaya Dance Company in San Jose. Rasika began her Bharatanatyam training at age 4 and performed her arangetram in 1996.
Her choreography has been featured in venues including the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, SF WestWave Festival, sjDANCEco’s ChoreoProject Awards series and Drive East NYC.
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