Mythili Kumar is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She performs the Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi styles of Indian classical dance. She is the founder of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose and a lecturer in dance at University of California, Santa Cruz.
Biography
As founder and director of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose since 1980, Kumar has trained and presented over one hundred dancers in their solo debuts and has collaborated extensively with several multi-cultural organizations. She has also taught classes at San Jose State University and Stanford University.
Collaborative performances include:
- The Guru with Kathak maestro Chitresh Das and his dance company
- In the Spirit (1993) with Japanese drumming corps San Jose Taiko, with Margaret Wingrove and her modern dance company
- The Ramayana (1997) with the Balinese music and dance ensemble Gamelan Sekar Jaya
- Vande Mataram - Mother, I bow to thee (1997) featuring three different Indian classical dance styles
- The Power of Saturn (1999) with Shadow Master Larry Reed and Shadow Light Productions
- Gandhi - the Mahatma (1995) for the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco
Awards
In 2010, Kumar was awarded the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award by San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.