Hema Rajagopalan is a

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

dancer, teacher and choreographer from New Delhi, India. Hema Rajagopalan started dancing in 1956 at the age of six under the instruction of her

devadasi In India, a devadasi is a female artist who is dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The dedication takes place in a ceremony that is somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony. In addition to taki ...

guru, Swarna Saraswathy. Hema Rajagopalan performed her first arangetram after just six months of training, and was then hailed a child prodigy in the art of bharatanatyam. Later on in her career, she also studied bharatanatyam under Padmasri K.N. Dandayudapani Pillai and his brothers K.N. Pakkiriswami Pillai and K.N. Dakshinamoorthy Pillai. Most recently, Hema Rajagopalan studied under Padma Kalanidhi Narayanan. Hema Rajagopalan moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1974 where she began doing smaller performances for friends to introduce Indian and Hindu culture beyond the small pockets of Indian immigrant communities. She then founded the Natya Dance Theatre to preserve and promote Bharatanatyam in the United States. Natya Dance Theatre performs contemporary interpretations of traditional dances through facial expressions, rhythmic footwork, dynamic body movement, and hand gestures through

Abhinaya Abhinaya (Sanskrit ''abhi-'' 'towards' + ''nii-'' 'leading/guide') is the art of expression in Indian aesthetics. More accurately it means "leading an audience towards" the experience (') of a sentiment ('). The concept, derived from Bh ...

. In 2001, Hema Rajagopalan curated ''In the Diaspora: Spiritual, Classical, Contemporary'', the first Bharatanatyam dance conference in the United States in a partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...

. In 2006, they partnered again to curate ''Dance India'', the second U.S. Bharatanatyam dance conference. Hema Rajagopalan has received awards from the Asian American Heritage Council, the City of Chicago, and was the first Indian classical choreographer to be chosen by the Chicago Dancemakers Forum to create new work. She was also given the Vishwa Kala Bharathi Award for Artistic Excellence, given to only one artist per year. Hema Rajagopalan has been awarded grants from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

and the

Illinois Arts Council The Illinois Arts Council is a government agency of the state of Illinois formed to encourage development of the arts throughout Illinois. Founded in 1965 by the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Arts Council provides financial and technica ...

and has served as a panelist for both organizations. Most notably, Natya Dance Theatre was awarded a $50,000 grant from the McArthur Foundation in 2018. Hema Rajagopalan is currently the artistic director of Natya Dance Theatre in Chicago with her daughter Krithika Rajagopalan serving as the Co-Artistic Director. She also conducts masterclasses at universities across the country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajagopalan, Hema Indian classical choreographers Bharatanatyam exponents People from New Delhi People from Chicago Dancers from Illinois Indian female dancers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people