Laksha’s Indian Classical Dance Debut

In Indian classical dance, the debut performance, or arangetram, marks the culmination of years of training and the beginning of an artist’s individual voice. Traditionally, it is a solo presentation of a fixed repertoire, performed with the blessings of the teacher and often centered on stories of women and episodes from Hindu mythology. Laksha’s Indian Classical Dance Debut reimagines this tradition through poems that reflect my own experiences. While rooted in classical teachings, this performance reshapes the repertoire into something personal: an offering of both inheritance and interpretation. This debut is not only a presentation of my training, but also My Return.

My choreography and movement come from decades of experimentation that break away from the gender binary forms of bharatnayam. Four forms of expression were the basis of bharatnatyam presentation in my institutions: Aangika (appearance and gestures of the body), Vaachika (word and song), Aahaarya (costume) and Saatvika (emotions expressed through face and body). Each expressive and aesthetic choice, from jewelry or a longing gaze to the essential dance movements, followed a gender binary. Dance was presented as either “man” or “woman”.

My journey as a professional Indian classical dancer was deeply interrupted when I decided to live with my true identity. At my alma mater, I held a respected teaching and performing artist position, however, I always had severe anxiety about not being able to be honest with my personal feelings. Fully immersing myself in the power of live music and dance has always supported my mental and physical health. 

Unfortunately, I lost all that support when I became Laksha in 2006. I was victimized as someone with a mental disability and colleagues around me were treating me as such. I was unable to work with mainstream spaces and the conservative environments that my art thrived in. My personal, professional, social life, and financial situation withered. Still, some ray of hope was always within me. I believe no true artist or true art can be bound by gender barriers. That belief helped me to gain strength to seek refuge in the U.S. in 2017.

After years of many challenging transition procedures to my body, I now feel complete ownership of my mind and body. Now, I recover my full-fledged artistry. Today I am in community with students, friends, supporters, and other artists. With them, I continue to rebuild my dance career, and this project will bring me one step closer towards what it means to live fiercely in my identity. By supporting this project, you are helping fund rehearsal space, travel and lodging for collaborators, and artist fees for musicians. Laksha’s Indian Classical Dance Debut will take place between the 2027-2028 season at a proscenium theater in San Francisco, CA. All donors will be invited to attend the performance. The performance will also be recorded, and I’d love to share the footage with you as well.

Today, I am raising funds for Laksha’s Indian Classical Dance Debut, but this performance is only the beginning. It lays the foundation for my larger dream of creating a dance school rooted in both artistic rigor and inclusion. Through this debut, I hope to showcase not only my technical training and approach to presenting dance, but also a vision for how classical Indian arts can evolve for new learners and knowledgeable audiences. My future dance school will carry that same vision forward: a space where my artistry (and the artistry of aspiring students and dancers) can exist safely, honestly, and fully. So, by supporting Laksha’s Indian Classical Dance Debut now, you’re also supporting a bigger dream to expand the boundaries of what classical Indian arts can be for the future.