kiran james
Kiran James is a Chicago-based dancer, choreographer, educator, podcaster, and non-profit leader whose performances and embodied practice are rooted in poetic storytelling and social justice. With 35 years of training in Bharatanatyam, Kiran creates bold, cross-cultural, and educative productions that bridge South Asian classical and ritual dance with other world dance forms. He is the co-founder of Daya Arts, a nonprofit focused on South Asian and West African arts, and Off the Beat, a podcast imagining new futures for South Asian dance. Kiran is also a sought-after teaching artist, lecturer, judge, compere, and voiceover artist. He has performed internationally, participated in artist residencies at Snug Harbor and Catwalk Institute, and formerly served as Executive Director of Kalapriya, a nonprofit South Asian arts organization.
Kiran earned a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Behavioral Neuroscience and Spanish from Boston University in 2008, an M.A. (honors) in Bharatanatyam from the University of Madras in 2010, and an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University in 2015. He is a disciple of Smt. Asha Prem, Sri Prasanna Kasthuri, Smt. Sujatha Srinivasan, Sri A. Lakshmanaswamy, and Smt. Bragha Bessell.
abstract
State of the Artist / Pathways to Professionalism
Panel Discussion