Co-Creative Director: Supraja Chittari

_MG_7811Supraja began training in Kuchipudi from age nine with Ms. Mallika Ramprasad at Bharata Mallika School of Kuchipudi Dance. She received more advanced training with Ms. Anuradha Nehru at Kalanidhi Dance for the past seven years and performed her solo debut recital, or Rangapravesam, in July 2014. Supraja was also fortunate to receive further training with Mr. Kishore Mosalikanti during summer intensives.

Supraja considers dance as an exploration of the human experience without the filter of language. Movement and artistry make invisible any social, racial, or geographic boundaries. Spurred by the richness of the classical dance idiom, as well as the obligation that dancers share as social activists, her choreography nucleates around modern themes and current issues. An interdisciplinary thinker at heart, and trained in Indian classical music from early childhood, she loves to engage in dialogue between Indian classical dance and other genres of music and media. She founded and captained the first competitive classical dance team, Aradhya, at the University of Virginia. For this team, Supraja created two solo dance items – Smaranam: Remembering the Fallen (2015), a response to worldwide terrorism, and Ekam: Beyond Divisions (2016), celebrating human vivacity and diversity beyond political boundaries. _MG_7885

Supraja is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill after completing her undergraduate studies at University of Virginia. The Aseemkala Initiative is so excited to have her on board to create new, exciting choreographic works. She served as Co-Creative Director from 2021-2022 and now leads the Choreography arm of Aseemkala.