Archana Kumar after living for 8 years in Seattle, WA , currently resides in Chicago IL. Her love affair with dance began almost two decades ago beginning with Baratanatyam-a South Indian art form for 8 years and then Kathak a North Indian form since 1996. She began exploring modern dance techniques since Jan 2001 in Seattle WA learning from various teachers at the Velocity Dance Center

Her Kathak training begins at the "Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography", a premier school of dance in Bangalore, India. She was a member of STEM Contemporary Dance (Bangalore India) from 1998-2003, touring nationally & performed at various festivals around India.

Winter 2004 she formed the Manasarovar Kathak School in Seattle, offering beginner and intermediate classes for children and adults. As a soloist and contemporary choreographer, her works are post modern, experimental, combining a wide range of movement vocabulary and draw inspirations from Butoh, Indian classical dance and relys heavily on improvisation. These works have been well received both at avant-garde performance venues and cultural events organized by minority activist groups.

Archana has conducted several 101 classes and lecture demos in colleges and schools in the United States and India as a visiting artist on Kathak and beginning Modern Dance. She was dance faculty member at the Cornish College of Arts in Seattle WA in Spring 2008.

Since 2005 she has collaborated and free-lanced with several well known artists and dance companies and most recently had the honor of performing with Internationally acclaimed and father of Indian contemporary dance, Astad Deboo

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