Nadhi Thekkek is the Artistic Director of Nava Dance Theatre (NDT), a bharatanatyam dance company based in San Francisco, California (USA). She operates on the belief that bharatanatyam, while classical, is a modern medium with potential to push boundaries of how we can use traditional art forms to understand place, identity, and politics. Nadhi has performed at various venues including the Scotiabank Dance Centre (Vancouver), La Mama ExperimentalTheatre Club (NYC), Dance Place (D.C.), and Southbank Center (London). Her choreographyhas been supported through: National Endowment for the Arts, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Dancers’ Group, California Arts Council, CounterPulse, East BayCommunity Foundation and others.

Some of Nadhi’s artist initiatives through Nava Dance Theatre include the Dansplain Series, afestival of bharatanatyam work on social justice issues; Locally Sourced at Navatman’s DriveEast, a series of music and dance commissions featuring Bay Area-based artists; and theVarnam Salon, a dance series highlighting traditional arts repertoire. She recently created #endsouthasiansilence, where NDT produces video art and public events engaging the SouthAsian community in urgent social justice issues.

She obtained her PhD from Rice University in Bioengineering. Though she left academia for artmaking and community organizing, she appreciates the critical thinking, creativity, multitasking, fundraising, and grant writing required for both!