Natya Dance Theatre

For over three decades, Natya Dance Theatre has been a leader in the Chicago dance community. As ever, our commitment to passing our art to the next generation remains strong. Natya has been recognized and honored nationally for being at the forefront in sustaining the cultural heritage of South Asia. With YOUR help we can continue to present the highest caliber of international artists, create a platform for our dancers, teach Bharata Natyam as community outreach and impart our philosophy through dance.

The range of Natya’s activities is wide, and the past year was an especially busy one for us! Highlights include: presenting an inaugural cross-cultural dance festival, Crossing Cultures, in collaboration with some of Chicago’s best known contemporary dance companies; being presented at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park where the Company premiered an evening-length work, Divine Equations; the Natya School began offering new classes in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood; and Natya’s successful educational outreach program with the Chicago Public Schools continues to build bridges of understanding among children of diverse cultural backgrounds. Truly, we are taking Bharata Natyam—the dance theater of India —in new directions and building the audiences of tomorrow.

In 2013, Natya premiered THE SEVENTH LOVE at Chicago's Harris Theatre. Created in collaboration with David Kersnar of Lookingglass Theatre Company, who also partnered with Natya on the critically-acclaimed, SITA RAM, THE SEVENTH LOVE was a hit with audiences and critics alike. In the words of Mariah Sulaiman of Buzznews.net, “The Seventh Love is a show that leaves you appreciating the beauty of love, culture and how we can all speak the same language, no matter the age, or cultural heritage. This is an experience not to be missed, but absorbed.”

The continuing economic downturn has presented Natya with severe economic challenges. We need your support more than ever before to keep all of our programs alive. By making a gift today, you help insure the strength of our programs for the coming year. Any size gift is appreciated and meaningful. For example:

• $50 will help support our rehearsal for an upcoming show, including studio rental.
• $100 will send a child in need to classes for an entire month so that their development is not limited by their income.
• $250 will significantly alleviate our operating costs, to support and efficiently run our school. 
• $500 will bring a performance of a NDT company to a school, community center, or event.
• $1000 will support the creation of a new production.

With your help in nourishing our cultural roots, we can grow and branch out to share the beauty of our art and culture with our community and the world. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the staff of Natya, I wish you a happy and prosperous holiday season!

Thank you!

Best wishes,

Hema Rajagopalan, Artistic Director
Krithika Rajagopalan, Associate Artistic Director
Bill Jordan, Program Coordinator