Shalaka Kulkarni
Shalaka Kulkarni (she/her) is an interdisciplinary dance artist who bridges the ancient and contemporary. Her work revolves around the ideas of female identity, questioning societal norms, celebrating gender fluidity, and empowering marginal voices. Kulkarni began training in Bharatnatyam in India. Continued with Pranita Nayar upon immigrating to the US and in Kathak under the international artist Sandhya Desai. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts and Media from Columbia College Chicago, where she started incorporating modern and contemporary dance forms under the guidance of Nana Shineflug.
As an actor, filmmaker, dancer, and choreographer she has toured original work and participated in collaborations in India, the U.S., and Europe. She is interested in presenting a hybrid movement practice that fuses the techniques of Bharatnatyam and Kathak with other movement influences, writing, and technology. Her most recent project was studying myths and mythological female-identified figures in various cultures with an investigative focus on Indian culture and the ancient Devadasi (temple dancer) system.
Featured Artworks
Photo by HCL
Photo by Rich Rankin
Photo by Beto de Freitas Photography
Photo by Rich Rankin