Nandini Kannan

🪔 About

Nandini Kannan is a versatile movement artist, performer, caretaker, and mentor, born and raised in LA County, Southern California. Her parents immigrated to Los Angeles in 1975, and she grew up closely tied to a South Indian community. Kannan began learning Bharatanatyam, a hereditary South Indian dance form, at the age of seven, which evolved into a lifelong passion. She trained in Bharatanatyam for 25 years under Ramya Harishankar of the Arpana Dance Company. Kannan has actively performed with the Arpana Dance Company and as a freelance artist in various venues for traditional and experimental works involving cross-art collaborations since 2007. She also serves as a mentor for Bharatanatyam with the Arpana Dance Company, guiding young South Asian women to deepen their connection to the art form through a holistic approach and refining technique nuances. Beyond Bharatanatyam, she trains and performs in other dance styles, including dancehall, heels, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and Bollywood. Kannan holds undergraduate degrees in public health and psychology and pursued a graduate degree in public health in New York City in 2016. She moved back to Los Angeles in 2022. Her work integrates her multi-disciplinary background in public health, psychology, arts management, health equity, and wellness promotion to make movement and art an inclusive and accessible means of healing and well-being for all communities.