How does dance evolve beyond tradition?
Harini Nilakantan joins the podcast to explore movement as a mosaic, bridging Bharatanatyam with modern expression.

In this episode of TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, Abhay chats with Chicago-based dancer and choreographer Harini Nilakantan to discuss the intersection of heritage and innovation.

Harini, a movement artist and award winning dancer and choreographer, shares her journey of reimagining ancestral storytelling for the modern stage. Instead of viewing dance as a "frozen" time capsule or a rigid discipline, Harini describes her practice as a "mosaic"—a refractive, evolving language that allows different cultural vocabularies to speak to one another without hierarchy.

In this episode, we cover:
- Why "purity" can be a problematic label in artistic evolution
- How to use traditional move sets, such as Tattamettu, to build new rhythmic dialogues
- Navigating the pressures of being a "winner" vs. finding success through honest expression
- How Harini’s upbringing in a polyglot, multi-disciplinary household shaped her identity and movement vocabulary

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Chapters-

00:00 Introduction to Harini Nilakantan
03:29 Defining her identity as a movement artist
06:49 Early dance memories and her "why"
11:52 Reimagining tradition through the art of kintsugi
14:58 Challenging inertia in classical dance forms
17:25 How her dance practice has evolved
20:16 Sponsor break: Travelopod
21:37 Unlearning audience preconceptions
27:41 Cultural influences and Harini's upbringing
33:15 Redefining success beyond trophies
36:59 Observer, student, teacher of dance
39:35 Building trust and expanding the lexicon

Connect with Harini:
https://harini-nilakantan.com

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