Arts India US

Arts India US Creating and supporting a community of emerging Indian classical performing artists in the United States.

Every so often, a post comes along that captures a feeling many artists have been quietly dealing with.Singaporean singe...
08/19/2026

Every so often, a post comes along that captures a feeling many artists have been quietly dealing with.

Singaporean singer-songwriter Sushma Soma reflects on listening to Philip Glass with awe, then confronting the growing capabilities of AI and wondering what happens to our sense of wonder when creativity itself feels replicable.

What struck us wasn’t the question of whether AI can make art.

It was her question about what makes human creativity meaningful in the first place.

For those of us working in Indian classical music and dance, this feels especially relevant. Our traditions are built not only on technical mastery, but on lived experience, lineage, interpretation, doubt, devotion, and years of learning and searching. The work is shaped as much by the artist as by the art itself.

As AI becomes increasingly capable, perhaps the question isn’t simply whether it can create.

Perhaps it’s about the way we, as humans create, and how that process can inspire and cause for the feeling of wonder.

Thank you to Sushma Soma for articulating this so thoughtfully and for allowing us another lens through which to consider the future of artistic practice.

What do you think? What makes art human?

There are good reasons artists protect what they create. Original choreography, compositions, concepts, and interpretati...
08/12/2026

There are good reasons artists protect what they create. Original choreography, compositions, concepts, and interpretations take enormous thought and effort—and seeing that work copied or used without acknowledgment can make artists understandably hesitant to share.

But what happens when that fear begins to shape the culture around creating?

Indian classical arts have always grown through learning, exchange, interpretation, and artists influencing one another. Sharing work allows ideas to circulate, conversations to begin, and artists to learn from what others are making.

So how do we protect authorship and insist on proper credit without creating a culture where artists become reluctant to share, experiment openly, or learn from one another?

Perhaps a thriving artistic ecosystem needs both: respect for what belongs to an artist, and generosity around what art can contribute to a larger community.

Where do you draw the line?

Let’s talk.

07/29/2026

For the past two years, we've been exploring a question that many traditional artists in the United States have had for years:

How are decisions made about what, and who, appears on major stages?

Today, we're excited to share the culmination of that work.

"Behind the Curtain" is a national research study examining how presenters discover, evaluate, and program traditional performing artists, using the South Asian genres as a case study. Incubated at the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, the project brings together survey data and interviews with artistic directors and programming leaders from performing arts organizations across the country to better understand the systems, and decision-making that shape cultural programming.

This research was born from a simple belief: meaningful change begins with understanding. We wanted to better understand the presenter perspective—creating a shared foundation for artists, institutions, and the broader field to engage in more informed conversations. This report is only the beginning. We hope it sparks new questions, ones which we plan to delve into with time.

Over the past several months, we've shared a selection of insights from the study here on Instagram. The full report offers a much deeper exploration of the findings, along with reflections on what they suggest about the future of traditional performing arts in the United States.

The full report is now available on our website. We look forward to continuing this conversation with all of you. You can also find a presentation of the key findings on our YouTube channel, at the Linkin bio.

07/29/2026

For the past two years, we've been exploring a question that many traditional artists in the United States have had for years:

How are decisions made about what, and who, appears on major stages?

Today, we're excited to share the culmination of that work.

"Behind the Curtain" is a national research study examining how presenters discover, evaluate, and program traditional performing artists, using the South Asian genres as a case study. Incubated at the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, the project brings together survey data and interviews with artistic directors and programming leaders from performing arts organizations across the country to better understand the systems, and decision-making that shape cultural programming.

This research was born from a simple belief: meaningful change begins with understanding. We wanted to better understand the presenter perspective—creating a shared foundation for artists, institutions, and the broader field to engage in more informed conversations. This report is only the beginning. We hope it sparks new questions, ones which we plan to delve into with time.

Over the past several months, we've shared a selection of insights from the study here on Instagram. The full report offers a much deeper exploration of the findings, along with reflections on what they suggest about the future of traditional performing arts in the United States.

The full report is now available on our website. We look forward to continuing this conversation with all of you. You can also find a presentation of the key findings on our YouTube channel, at the Linkin bio.

07/20/2026

Lotus Fellow:

Every work asks to be articulated differently.

For Shalini Basu, this Fellowship year is about exploring how meaning can be conveyed without being explained. As she reimagines her work Allure's Illusion, she's experimenting with introducing the piece through a short poem before allowing the choreography to unfold in silhouette. By stripping away detail and emphasizing shape and expansive movement, she's asking how much can be communicated through the movement itself—and how much audiences can discover on their own.

Join us as we share glimpses into each Fellow's creative journey: the ideas they're wrestling with, the experiments they're trying, and the works that are slowly taking shape.

07/19/2026

Lotus Fellow:

Every rhythm has the power to connect.

For Karun Salvady, this Fellowship year is about exploring whether percussion alone can communicate a shared spiritual language. As part of a broader collaboration with a chitraveena artist and close friend, he's experimenting with rhythm, texture, and sound to uncover the common threads between Bhakti and Sufi devotional traditions, asking how Indian classical music can illuminate the unity that exists across different spiritual paths.

Join us as we share glimpses into each Fellow's creative journey: the ideas they're wrestling with, the experiments they're trying, and the works that are slowly taking shape.

07/18/2026

Lotus Fellow: .dandawate

Every influence leaves its mark.

For Ariaki Dandawate, this Fellowship year is about exploring the many influences that shape artistic identity. Inspired by the layered history of Kathak itself, she's examining how her own experience inform her movement, and how understanding those influences can lead to a more authentic choreographic voice.

Join us as we share glimpses into each Fellow's creative journey: the ideas they're wrestling with, the experiments they're trying, and the works that are slowly taking shape.

07/15/2026

Lotus Fellow:

Every dialogue has the power to change the music.

For Antara Bhattacharya, this Fellowship year is about exploring what happens when a melody is placed in conversation with other artists. Through collaboration, improvisation, and experimentation with musicians across traditions and instruments, she's discovering how each creative voice can reshape one melody in unexpected ways.

Join us as we share glimpses into each Fellow's creative journey: the ideas they're wrestling with, the experiments they're trying, and the works that are slowly taking shape.

07/13/2026

Lotus Fellow:

Every character offers a new way in.

For Neha Venkatesh, this Fellowship year is about exploring how character can transcend context. Rather than relying on audiences to understand every cultural reference, she's experimenting with how fully embodied emotion might invite them to observe more closely and discover meaning for themselves.

Join us as we share glimpses into each Fellow's creative journey: the ideas they're wrestling with, the experiments they're trying, and the works that are slowly taking shape.

07/09/2026

Lotus Fellow:

Inquiry begins with the courage to ask new questions.

For Vedya Spurthi Konda, this Fellowship year is about using collaboration as a catalyst for discovery. As she works alongside musicians and engages with her mentor, she's exploring how new questions can deepen her understanding of Kuchipudi and open unexpected creative directions—all while remaining grounded in the form's rich tradition.

Join us as we share glimpses into each Fellow's creative journey: the ideas they're wrestling with, the experiments they're trying, and the works that are slowly taking shape.

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