Sumana Sen Mandala, MFA
Director
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Sumana has been trained meticulously by several gurus. Her initial training under Smt. Manjula Mudambi and then Kalashri Smt. Asha Gopal led to her arangetram (debut) in 1989 in Arizona, as a student of the Pandanallur school of Bharata Natyam. While at the University of Virginia, she was guided by Dr. Aruna Viswadoss in examining Tamil language and literature for dance, while refining her technique in abhinaya. Sumana spent 2 years in Sapporo, Japan, where she had the honor of studying and performing Kagura (Shinto ritual dance) with the Hokkaido Shrine Troupe and of being in conversation with buyō (舞踊) master and scholar Gunji-sensei (郡司正勝), exploring the practical and spiritual connections across cultures in dance. She also performed Bharata Natyam and conducted comparative dance workshops there.
In 1996, Sumana sought guidance in dance under Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam at Nrithyodaya, Chennai, India, spending 3 years immersed in a virtual guru-shishya setting, working to master Bharata Nrityam and the Natyashastra-based pedagogy of imparting Indian classical dance. As part of her training, she also imbibed the Vazhuvoor style of Bharata Natyam and served as research assistant to Dr. Padma and instructor for primary and intermediate classes at Nrithyodaya. Sumana performed extensively in India with Dr. Padma's troupe, including the Chidambaram Natyanjali Festivals and Doordarshan national TV. She continues to perfect her art with practice, choreography, and further training and collaborations in dance arts, including earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance at Arizona State University in 2020. She presented her MFA applied project and most recent Dansense Event, Look into my Voice, Hear my Dance (LVHD) and has published her work.
In 1996, Sumana sought guidance in dance under Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam at Nrithyodaya, Chennai, India, spending 3 years immersed in a virtual guru-shishya setting, working to master Bharata Nrityam and the Natyashastra-based pedagogy of imparting Indian classical dance. As part of her training, she also imbibed the Vazhuvoor style of Bharata Natyam and served as research assistant to Dr. Padma and instructor for primary and intermediate classes at Nrithyodaya. Sumana performed extensively in India with Dr. Padma's troupe, including the Chidambaram Natyanjali Festivals and Doordarshan national TV. She continues to perfect her art with practice, choreography, and further training and collaborations in dance arts, including earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance at Arizona State University in 2020. She presented her MFA applied project and most recent Dansense Event, Look into my Voice, Hear my Dance (LVHD) and has published her work.
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At Prambanan Temple, Indonesia
Experience
Sumana has performed in the USA, Japan, India and England. In Japan, she experimented with incorporating Japanese folktales and stylizations into Indian dance. In India, she toured with Dr. Padma's troupe, performing at the ‘Natyanjali’ festival at Chidambaram, for Doordarshan in New Delhi, and at several sabhas in Chennai, including her maiden performance under Dr. Padma's guidance at Nungambakkam (now Chennai) Cultural Academy in January, 1999. Sumana is an established ambassador for Indian dance and culture, being regularly invited to speak and demonstrate on many occasions.
Sumana has performed in the USA, Japan, India and England. In Japan, she experimented with incorporating Japanese folktales and stylizations into Indian dance. In India, she toured with Dr. Padma's troupe, performing at the ‘Natyanjali’ festival at Chidambaram, for Doordarshan in New Delhi, and at several sabhas in Chennai, including her maiden performance under Dr. Padma's guidance at Nungambakkam (now Chennai) Cultural Academy in January, 1999. Sumana is an established ambassador for Indian dance and culture, being regularly invited to speak and demonstrate on many occasions.
- Talk on “Religion as an Experience of Rasa in Dance”, 2000, Arizona State University, South Asian Studies Department
- Brown Bag Lecture “Beyond Space, Time and Consciousness” and Teacher In-Service workshop in conjunction with Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s 2001 exhibit “Wolfgang Laib: A Retrospective”.
- Member, San Ramon Arts Council, in the Bay Area, from 2004-2005.
- Co-founder of Stage Sanchaar in Austin, TX, leading production conceptualizations and programming, 2008.
- Developed an introductory course to Bharata-Natyam; in residence teacher at McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy, Spring Semester 2012; Served as adjudicator for student submissions to the National Honor Society for Dance Arts.
- Guest artist for "Tagore: A Celebration", an event organized by Milwaukee Poet Laureates Jeff Poniewaz and Antler at the Milwaukee Public Library, March 2014.
- Experience conducting arangetrams, sponsoring orchestral ensembles, and organizing master workshops
- Delegated examiner by Dr. Padma to assess students at Nrithyodaya's affiliated schools.
- Invited to give lecture-demonstration on Bharata Natyam under the auspieces of the Sapporo International Communication Plaza; performer and collaborator for "Tsumugu" with Sharadha Dance Studio at Sunpiazza Theater in Sapporo, Japan, July 2017
- Guest Lecturer on Bharata Nrityam at ASU Dance classes; Teacher-In-Residence at Glendale Community College (2017), Adjudicator, Peer-Reviewer
- Presenter at DSSE conference (2018-Rochester, NY), NDEO conference (2018-San Diego, 2019-Miami, 2020-Virtual), Collaborative Action Research Network Conference (2018-Manchester, UK)
- Participant/Performer in Art As Liberation convening (2018-Petaluma, CA); API-GBV Summit (2018-Los Angeles)
- Published: Traditional Challenges, Challenging Tradition: Helping Students Find Agency in Bharata-Natyam at the Junction of Ancient Indian Thought, Somatic Practices & Feminist Pedagogy
- MFA Applied Project & Dansense Event: LVHD (Spring, 2020), MFA earned in December ,2020
- Developed the Collaborative Action Dance Project or CADP, a process of creation and civic engagement, rooted in collaborative action research, Bharata-Nrityam technique, somatic principles, and creative tools (explored with Liz Lerman and Eileen Standley)