Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 725, Chicago, IL 60605
Tel (312) 212-1240 Fax (312) 212-1250

www.natya.com

COMPANY BIO


Natya Dance Theatre (NDT) serves as an agent of cultural preservation, presentation, and exchange. Artistic director Hema Rajagopalan has received seven dance choreography fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Hema has produced over 100 dance dramas and has toured extensively in the United States, Europe, and India. She has presented innumerable lecture demonstrations, and has participated in many residencies. Her students have received the Presidential Scholarship, the Illinois Arts Council Apprenticeship Grant, and numerous other state and college awards for dance internationally. NDT has toured internationally, performing at such venues as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Avignon Festival in Paris, the Madras Dance and Music Festival, and the Smithsonian Institution. NDT is committed to using the arts as an agent for understanding among diverse cultures.

Krithika Rajagopalan is NDT's assistant artistic director and principal dancer. In addition to being a dancer and choreographer, she teaches, conducts workshops and master classes, and develops outreach performances and programs for schools and universities. Recognition of her work includes the Jerome Foundation Grant Award, the Master Teacher Award from the Illinois Arts Council, and the Commitment to the Arts Award from Mayor Daley and the City of Chicago.


Natya Dance Theatre is a 501(c)(3) organization partially supported by grants from The Chicago Community Trust, the Illinois Arts Council, (a State Agency),
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation of the MacArthur Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (CityArts), the Alphawood Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Kraft Foods, Polk Bros. Foundation,
Sara Lee Foundation, and the Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation.