About
Mission
Mandala Arts is a MacArthur Award-winning organization founded by Executive Artistic Director Pranita Nayar. From classical to contemporary, Mandala offers evocative dance, theatre, and musical arts of South Asia.
Mandala connects our audiences and students with the vibrancy of the performing arts traditions of South Asia. We offer powerful engagement with specialised artists and educators who represent diverse ethno-geographic , linguistic, cultural and gender identities.
Mandala’s Ensemble, teaching artists, and outreach and collaborating partners build bridges between traditional arts, community and contemporary life through folk and classical traditions, as well as current and hybrid innovations. Through innovative art making and education, we promote positive social awareness. For all global citizens, the splendor of South Asia flourishes with Mandala Arts.
Focus
Ensemble • Academy • Outreach
As a non-profit organization committed to entertainment and education, Mandala has three primary areas of focus: the Ensemble, the Academy, and Outreach.
In each area, Mandala artists craft exceptional experiences that reflect our core beliefs, including:
- the arts can bring the world to our front door
- stories and music have the power to transcend differences
- recognizing cultural identity
- excellence and fun are not mutually exclusive
Our Ensemble is a group of dancers and musicians skilled in a variety of South Asian performance styles. From Dance to Music, Mandala Arts offer a window to timeless forms of Indian dance and music. The Ensemble is available to hire for solo productions, festivals, and private events.
Our Academy offers classes and workshops for children, teens, and adults at various locations across Chicagoland.
Pranita Nayar (Pranita Jain) is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, company director, curator and producer. A graduate of the Centre for Indian Classical Dances in New Delhi, India, she trained with one of India’s foremost Bharata Natyam dancer, Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh. After relocating to the United States in 1985, she earned a Masters in Dance Ethnography from the University of Illinois. Pranita Nayar continued her training with Jamuna Krishnan in New Delhi.
Nayar has received many accolades in the United States and India. The Consulate of India has acknowledged her with the Honor of Distinction for “sustaining and promoting India’s multi-faceted, rich cultural heritage in the United States and for enriching the cultural and social profile of the Indian-American community.” The venerable Maharaja Gaj Singh of Marwar, the oldest surviving member of a royal family dating back to the 15th century, has recognized Nayar for her artistic accomplishments as the “Dance Jewel of Rajasthan.”
Moreover, Nayar has performed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC; Lincoln Center in New York City; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Newark Museum; Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, India; the prestigious Darpana Academy in Ahemdaabad, India; and the Habitat World Center in New Delhi, India. She was honored to be invited to perform at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2006, she taught and choreographed international pop star Shakira for her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
In addition to performing, Nayar is a dedicated and highly sought-after educator. She is an eleven-time recipient of the Master Teacher Award from the Illinois Arts Council. Her teaching encompasses master and ensemble classes, as well as introductory workshops for those who seek insight into her practice. Among others, Nayar has taught at Harvard University, Northwestern University, University of Illinois, the Art Institute of Chicago, Wayne State University, Franklin & Marshall College, and Chicago Public Schools.
Nayar brings new energy to the choreography and rhythm of her chosen dance form. Skilled in the story telling component of Bharata Natyam—where the dancer uses hand gestures and facial expressions to describe the symbolism and mythology of Hindu myths—she has been increasingly drawn to and motivated by the art and symbolisms of other faiths and cultures.
Her dance company is lauded and widely-recognized. While their foundation springs from tradition and the diverse influences of India, her company is constantly adapting to remain attuned to a transnational audience.
As a curator of dance and music, Nayar has spanned the US presenting one-of-a-kind artists including the electrifying violinist L Subramaniam; the Rajasthani folk group Rupayan; India’s foremost dhurpad musicians, the Gundecha Brothers; and Sidi Goma, the Black Sufi’s of Gujarat. She continually seeks new influences to inspire and expand her aesthetic. She returns to India annually to connect and exchange ideas with other artists in order to stay current and enrich her knowledge of evolving Indian performance and culture.
Associate Executive Director
Ashmi Mridul
Ashmi Mridul is an artist and researcher who is passionate about making art more accessible by bringing it into the public realm. As a graduate of MIT’s Art, Culture, and Technology program, she has explored collective memory, dialogue, and storytelling through her work as mediums for education and learning. She conducted ethnography through sensory materials like soaps and scents and created art interventions to revive the traditional storytelling practices of Rajasthan (India).
Mridul worked on an oral history project with the Mehrangarh Fort & Museum (Jodhpur), documenting unheard stories of Marwari women. As a grantee at the Gender Bender Festival in Bangalore, she co-founded the Kahi-Suni archive to document women’s marriage migration in India. She earned her undergraduate degree in interaction design arts from the University of the Arts London, where she received a scholarship for Route Artlantique, an art and design exchange program in Senegal.
To learn more, please visit her website: ashmimridul.com.
Photo by Mandar Kadam, Mumbai
Chethan Anant
Chethan Anant (@TheBansurist) is an Indian Classical musician, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and music educator from Chicago. He is uniquely proficient as both a bansuri player and vocalist, and has studied music throughout his life with performers and musicologists, including Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Dr. Vikas Kashalkar, Pandit Arun Kashalkar, and Pandit Shyam Kane.
As a performer, Anant specializes in the Hindustani Classical tradition. In addition to performing classical repertoire across the U.S. and internationally, he is an avid collaborator and loves sharing music with artists spanning varied genres, including Carnatic, jazz, Thai traditional, roots, blues, and hip hop. He spent more than a decade playing flute for Indian Classical dance recitals internationally, and built a reputation as one of the most sought- after flautists for dance performance. Through his experience in live sound management and studio recordings, he has developed a specialized skillset in music production and has mixed and mastered three of his own live albums.
As an educator, Anant has been teaching music since 2016, and strives to share his new-generational perspective on the age-old Hindustani Classical music tradition with his students. He has given lecture demonstrations and performances at various institutions including Stanford University, Tulane University, MIT, and Rensellaer Polytechnic Institute.
Board of Directors
Dr Umang Patel, President
Rajesh Kumar, Treasurer
Pratik Agrawal, Secretary
Raji Arora, Director Pranita Nayar, Executive Artistic Director Dr. Alok Mehta, Strategic Advisory specialist.
Artistic Team
Pranita Nayar, Artistic Director
Sonia Sethi Kohli, Senior Dance Education
Chethan Anant, Music Curator + Music Education
Shrutika Kamat, Artistic Instructor
Production Team
Rich Rankin, Sound Designer
Geoffrey Bushor, Light Designer
Peter Dorman, Film + Media
Connor Torres, Production Manager
Management Team
Pranita Nayar, Artistic Director
Chethan Anant, Interim Executive Director
Sanjiv Nayar, Finance Director
Lindsey Kraft, Communications + Marketing Manager
Ashmi Mridul, Curatorial and Community engagement specialist
Nathan Kallen, Webmaster + G Suite Administrator
Jill Chukerman, Public Relations
Hayley Segall, Manager of Grants and Foundation Relations.
