Yashoda Thakore is an exponent of Kuchipudi and Devadasi Nrityam and a practitioner of Yoga. She was awarded a PhD for her research on the Interrelationship Between Yoga and Indian Classical Dances. She has authored Kaivalya-Joy in Yoga and Dance (2014), co-translated Nritta Ratnavali, a 13thC text, and edited its Critical Edition. She was an artiste in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania (2019), and performed at the Wesleyan University (2019).
She is currently a faculty for Kuchipudi at The University of Silicon Andhra, California. She was conferred the Bangalore Nagaratnamma award (2017) by the Samskruti Organisation, Guntur and the Ugadi Puraskaram by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Led by an all Female Creative and Executive team, When Eyes Speak is the first Indian Choreography Festival in San Francisco connecting audiences by way of outreach programs, curated festivals, panel discussions, and workshops to the world of Indian dance forms, portraying relevant themes with a unique combination of theater, mythology, and movement.
Featured as a “Critic’s Pick” for the San Francisco Chronicle and supported by organizations such as the San Francisco Arts Commision, American Conservatory for the Arts, SAFEhouse Arts, and Zellerbach Family Foundation, this festival aims to demystify the notion of Indian choreography with a glimpse into the vastness of the Indian diasporic arts.
Preethi Ramaprasad is a multifaceted dancer and musician from the U.S., trained in Bharatanatyam with Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy (Shree Bharatalaya, Chennai) for 24 years. She has toured India, Europe, and the U.S. in solo and ensemble shows with accolades such as “All- Rounder Artist Yuva Kala Bharati”, “Guru Sanjukta Panigrahi Award”, Trinity Arts Festival Award, YoungArts Scholarship from the Oscar-nominated documentary “Rehearsing a Dream,” and the SAFEhouse Arts Lead Residency where she spearheaded the first When Eyes Speak. Passionate about teaching, Preethi has led workshops at venues like Juilliard and Columbia University. She is currently a doctoral student in Critical Dance Studies at UC Riverside.
Sri Thina Subramaniam Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancer from the Temple of Fine Arts, Malaysia. Over the last 20 years she has worked with international choreographers in the field. Some of them include, Mavin Khoo, currently the rehearsal director at Akram Khan Company (UK) and Shobana Jeyasingh known for her enigmatic and dynamic dance work in the UK. She has performed in many venues including the Lincoln Center(USA), Royal Opera House, and Buckingham Palace (UK). Since her move to America in 2016 Sri Thina has curated the San Francisco West Wave Dance Festival, presented her choreography at the Drive East Festival in New York, and worked as stage manager and rehearsal director to many productions. She currently continues to collaborate and create work while also a member of Navatman
Shruti Abhishek a professional Bharatanatyam Dancer from Mumbai, India has gained experience learning from and performing under well-known exponents for the last 20 years. Her initial training was with Smt Rohini Signhi. At Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, she earned her bachelor’s Degree of Performing Arts. She has trained with renowned academician and dance scholar Shri CV Chandrashekhar in Chennai and is currently training under Shri Vaibhav Arekar in Mumbai. Shruti has performed in prestigious venues like NCPA, IndiaHabitat Centre, NaradaGanaSabha, ChennAi & Festiwal indii, Poland to name a few. She has been a core dancer in Sankhya Dance Company, Mumbai and NavaDance Theatre, SF and is the Company Manager & rehearsal director for NavaDance Theatre. Shruti’s new initiative “Kshetram” is an institute in Pleasanton where she teaches Bharatanatyam to young children and adults.
