Ananya Chatterjea layers classical Indian Odissi, yoga, Indian martial arts, and combines them with activism and social justice. Her goal is to inspire and raise consciousness. With her company, Ananya Dance Theatre, she is currently building a 4 year dance piece on oil, gold, mud, and water.

This segment aired as part of MN Original episode #102.

Watch Ananya’s extended interview here.

ARTIST BIO

Dancer and choreographer Ananya Chatterjea is the artistic director of Ananya Dance Theater, originally begun as Women in Motion in New York in 1996. Since moving to Minnesota in 1998, Ananya Dance Theater has created over a dozen works that have tackled issues pertaining to social ills, women’s rights, and environmental justice all using contemporary interpretations of Odissi, a traditional dance from the southern part of India. Ananya is the Associate Professor in the Dept. of Theater Arts and Dance and Director of Dance in the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.