production directed by Maya Rau-Murthy

survivor voices through rap, konnakol, and dance

validate & amplify survivor voices

Assure survivors they are not alone or at fault

educate:

consent

bystander effect

inter-generational trauma

Place the audience in survivor’s shoes to foster a nuanced understanding

Empower

upstanders

Educate on how we can break the cycle

Maya Rau-Murthy

Director

Rap, Konnakol, Dance, Composer, Choreographer

Maya Rau-Murthy is a konnakol artist (verbal percussion), Bharatanatyam dancer, ​rapper, mridangist, director, composer, performer, choreographer, and co-director ​of Natya Anubhava Academy. She has performed widely globally, including in the ​National Gallery of Art in DC with Akshara Ensemble, Martha Graham Theater, ​United Nations, Seva Sadan Malleswaram, Drive East, SafeHouse Arts SF, New York ​City Hall, Jewish Museum, Hammond Museum, Javits Center, Smith Center, ​Stanford University. Her works center around using arts as a medium for social ​justice education. Some notable productions she recently produced, directed, ​choreographed, and composed include: "Anyatha Naasti: Dreams of the Other," ​which explores the harmful effects of 'othering', "Janani: Ode to Mother Earth" ​addresses our environmental responsibility. "Ardhanareeshwara: Shattering the ​Construct of Gender," challenging restrictive gender roles. She is currently ​directing and touring previews nationally “Steps Beyond Silence”, an awareness ​education work around gender-based violence. For this award-winning work, she ​is the recipient of the Unrehearsed Artists Resident, and is a finalist for the New ​England Fine Arts National Dance Project, and the Global Asian Creative Awards.

Sindhu Natarajan

Music Director

Carnatic Vocal, Composer

Sindhu Natarajan is a renowned vocalist, composer, and South Indian classical dancer. She comes from a family of musicians, and began her formal training in Carnatic music with her aunts, Vasanthi Kannan and Raji Gopalakrishnan, and her grandfather, P.V. Natarajan. She has also studied Bharatanatyam under Mythili Kumar of Abhinaya Dance Company in San Jose.

Sindhu has given many concerts in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. She has also collaborated with and composed music for multiple leading South Asian dance companies and choreographers across the United States. In addition to performing, Sindhu is a passionate composer who creates music that blends her Carnatic roots with other genres.

Furthermore, Sindhu is a passionate advocate for immigrant artists. She is on the advisory board of The Immigrant Artist Network, where she uses her art to connect with other immigrant artists and comrades to build community in the art space.

Vishnu R

Navtar

Composer

Vishnu R is an award-winning Indian Classical & Jazz musician, composer and the inventor of the new, unique 9-string instrument NAVTAR (patented). A Fellow of the US Govt. Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs, Mentor of British Council's India-UK Exchange and a Grade 8 Western Classical graduate from the Trinity College of London, Vishnu is the recipient of prestigious awards such as ‘Best Performer & Composition Award’ Beyond Music International Project (Switzerland), Karnataka Rajyothsava, and has collaborated with leading artists such as 5-time GRAMMY award-winning artists Snarky Puppy, Padmavibhushan Umayalapuram K. Sivaraman, Padmashri A.Kanyakumari, Vijay Prakash, Singer Karthik, Guitar Pasanna to name a few.

Shubha Chadramouli

Mridangam

Composer

Shubha received her initial mridangam tutelage from Sri. Poovalur Srinivasan, and has continued to receive advanced training under Sri. Patri Satish Kumar. One of only a handful of performing female mridangam artists in the world, Shubha has given mridangam accompaniment to several renown musicians across the globe.

As a collaborator in diverse genres of music and dance ensembles, Shubha has performed at numerous global music festivals, most recently the Reflektor festival in Hamburg, Germany curated by Anoushka Shankar.

Shubha’s initial introduction into Carnatic music was from her mother, Smt. Sunanda Chandramouli. Shubha continued advanced vocal training under the late Smt. Geetha Ramanathan Bennett and Sri. Delhi P. Sunderrajan.

Meenakshi

Chen

Dancer

Choreographer

Meena Chen, is a multimedia storyteller focused on the intersection of art, activism, spirituality, and identity. Trained in Bharatanatyam under Dr. Nalini Rau, they work across mediums such as music, visual art, and dance, and center their art on healing and community-building through spiritual practice, event-planning, and teaching. As a performer, they are known by their full name - Meenakshi 陳美明 - an homage to their mixed ancestral and cultural influences. Meena graduated from Swarthmore College in 2021 with a major in Environmental Studies and double minor in Religion and Dance, and have been working as a freelance performing artist and creator ever since. In Philadelphia, from 2022-2023, they danced as a company dancer and choreographer with AniMalayaworks. Now they currently live in NY where they are an educator, performer, and choreographer at Natya Anubhava Theater.

Unrehearsed Artist Residency

New England Foundation of the Arts ​National Dance Project Finalist ​Grant

New York Foundation of the Arts

Maitri