Today we’d like to introduce you to Kanaka Sathasivan.
Hi Kanaka, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been part of the classical dance community in Austin for over 30 years, and in that time, was privileged to direct and produce many productions. One of the first shows I did as a young director was supported by Indian Dance Endeavor of Austin, which at the time was a very small organization. IDEA’s mission was to provide support for young Indian-American talent, who don’t have as many opportunities and resources compared to established international performing artists. They helped us with rehearsal space and the venue, which we had had difficulty securing. However, interest in sustaining the group waned over the years, and IDEA became less active.
Then the founder Vinitha Subramanian approached me to revive the organization in 2021. Together, we recruited new board members who had also been part of the performing arts community through photography, sound engineering, and music. We also started promoting IDEA’s services among the newer dance schools in Austin who could use non-profit support. We refocused the mission and vision and also hired IDEA’s first employee to support with administrative work. As president of this newly refreshed version of IDEA, I also worked to get our largest grant to date for the musical production Meera, winner of the 2024 International Singer-Songwriter Association Male Album of the Year. Since then, we have voted in a new president Priya Subramony, who has a forward-thinking vision and goals to expand IDEA to even greater heights.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely been a bumpy road in getting IDEA revived into an active organization. I still remember sorting through reams of unorganized documents, bylaws, legal filings, and bank statements to try and piece together the history of the organization. My career outside of the arts has been very focused on non-profits, so I was able to bring that expertise in non-profit documentation, accounting, governance, and compliance to the organization. Relying on the advice of members from other boards I served on at the time, I set up a regular schedule of meetings, refiled the paperwork with the new board members, set up a new bank account, and started training the other board members in their duties. Also with the help of our operations manager Amrutha Sridhar, we started organizing intake and support for shows. Our first year, we helped with just one show, but since then, we’ve supported a dozen and co-produced the high-budget musical Meera. We hope to help put on more shows in the future and also start volunteering program to provide more opportunities for young dancers.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Since I was 7, I have been learning Bharathanatyam, classical Indian dance with Natyalaya School of Dance, the first school of its kind in Central Texas. Being South Asian in what was then a a much smaller Austin, I didn’t have many peers. I was one of maybe 10 others in my age group in all of Central Texas who was learning dance, which gave me a multitude of opportunities to perform. From city hall to the children’s museum to teach camps for children with disabilities, I was privileged to share my art with many others who may not otherwise have been exposed to South Asian culture. In 2000 I started teaching dance, and then in 2007, I founded my award-winning lighting and stage management company Natya Sabhai Arts, which is one the proudest achievements in my career. My goal was to support South Asian productions using my training in Western theater and theater tech combined with studying the ancient Indian forms of theater, acting, and performance. I was able to provide advice based on my knowledge of Bharthantyam structure and costuming combined with the technical constraints of the many auditoriums here in Austin. I am proud to say that we are now a preferred vendor at several theaters and schools, have supported over 300 shows, and have been able to provide free training and empowerment opportunities to over 20 girls and young women through our internship program. In 2017, I started my advisory career on non-profit boards with a position serving Dance International. After many years of learning non-profit governance, operations, and legal requirements through my public health career, I was able to apply that knowledge to my new arts board director role. When Indian Dance Endeavor of Austin, founded by Smt. Vinitha Subramanian, needed to undergo a full refresh and relaunch in 2021, she approached me to be the first president of this new chapter in the non-profit’s life. The stated mission was to support young American artists who were learning Indian dance of any kind. My immediate first thought was to the performances I gave as a young artist and all the students I mentored in theater tech. I know IDEA would be a great avenue to extend similar opportunities to students from any dance school in Austin.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Mrs. Vinitha Subramanian has been my biggest mentor and influence. As founder and director of Natyalaya School of Dance, she gave me my first job in teaching dance to young children and also encouraged me to pursue all my other artistic interests. She introduced me to performers and producers who needed help with lighting, staging, or script writing, and entrusted me with directing several dance dramas and plays. Every summer, she works to bring professional artists from India to provide camps and more advanced education. Through one of these camps, I met my other mentor Narendra Kumar. His lessons on philosophy, musicality, and movement helped elevate my creativity to the next level. He was also a critical supporter when I wrote, directed, and produced my first original full-length dance drama of Alice in Wonderland, helping with the casting, choreography, and music design. I will forever be grateful to both of these mentors and credit my entire arts career to their guidance and encouragement.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ideaustin.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanakas/
