ABOUT
SUTRADHAR
The Sanskrit word sutradhar means “thread-bearer”—the character in a dance-drama that links the performer, performance, and audience together. The Sutradhar Institute of Dance and Related Arts (SIDRA) strives to embody this principle of connection and storytelling every day. Sutradhar’s work is to nurture the human soul’s expression beyond caste, creed, gender, race, and age. Through our interdisciplinary approach and commitment to community building, we foster a unique space in the world of classical arts– one where love is at the center of living traditions. Sutradhar offers classes in Kuchipudi dance, martial arts, and visual art. These practices are linked together and supported with yoga, creative writing, story-telling, and music–all links in the chain of drishya kavya (visual poetry).
ABOUT
SUTRADHAR
Resident dance company, Sutradhar Dance Company (formerly known as Devi Dance Theater), choreographs and performs cutting-edge productions that challenge societal limitations and innovate within this living dance tradition. Devi Dance Theater performs and collaborates both at home and internationally, and centers questions of the soul beyond preconceived categories. Learn more about the company and connect with us.
1956
Nilimma Devi begins training with Guru Nataraj Ramakrishna when she is 14, in the face of stigma against women performers in newly independent India, and as a refugee from Punjab and the Partition of the 1940s.
1968
Devi immigrates to Madison, Wisconsin, USA with her young family.
1988
Sutradhar Institute Established
Devi begins her vision for an interdisciplinary and innovative arts organization.
1998
‘In Pursuit of the Goddess’ course designed to counter ageism for both men and women, and welcome older student’s into Kuchipudi classes
2000
Khilton Nongmaithen, Manipuri master martial arts, joins Sutradhar Dance Company as a collaborating artist and Sutradhar faculty member
2005
Awarded the Twenty-first Century grant by the Montgomery County Arts Council to partner with public elementary schools
2011-2014
Devi’s term as a Councillor on the Maryland State Arts Council, in 2013 awarded the Montgomery County Executive’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Arts & Humanities
2017
‘Weaving Life’ debuts, highlighting and South Asian, Native American, and African American cultures of weaving and community
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learn more here
)
2020
Classes and community move online and adapt to the pandemic, including the construction of a new outdoor stage at Sutradhar, virtual events, and hybrid class modalities. Birth of a new class, Art & Storytelling, to help youth process their stress.
2024
Choreography begins for ‘Vrksh’ and ‘Yogini’, and Khilton Nongmaithen begins working with Riya Devi-Ashby on new repertoire combining Thang-ta and dance
2025
‘Yogini: Battle for Peace’ debuts in Olney and Silver Spring, MD, introducing Anila Kumari and Riya Devi-Ashby as lead choreographers
(
learn more here
)
1963
Now one of the first women practitioners in the field, she undertakes training with Jagannath Vedantam Sarma and Prahlad Vedantam Sarma of Elluru Village.
1980
Anila Kumari, now a teenager, studies with her mother Nilimma Devi and artists such as Priyadarshini Govind, Vempati Chinna Satyam, Kalanidhi Narayanan, and more. The mother–daughter duo travels and performs in Iran, Kenya, Indonesia, and the U.S.
1989
Sutradhar’s first summer camp brings an immersive approach to Indian Classical theater through the lens of the epic Ramayan, gains critical acclaim
1999
New space in Silver Spring, MD renovated to house two dance studios, a yoga garden, and a registered butterfly sanctuary
2001
‘Walk the Sky’, the story of visionary poet Mahadevi Akka, debuts to critical acclaim
(
learn more here
)
2006
Devi receives the Master Apprenticeship award from the Maryland State Arts Council and created a traditional technique program. Landmark production ‘From the Diary of Sita’ explores Sita as an epical character and solo heroine.
2008
‘Mandala: a Voyage Within’ debuts as a meditation on sacred geometry and introspection ( learn more here ), and ‘Blossoms Rained’ is commissioned and performed for the National Museum of Asian Art
2019
Why the Trees Dance debuts in Brookside Gardens and on film, celebrating the resistance of the Chipko movement.
(
learn more here
)
2021
Shakti Youth Fundraiser is established, raising money for Shanti Bhavan, a free school in India for children marginalized by casteism.
2023
Sutradhar Dance Company travels internationally once more, performing at the Anapale International Dance Festival in Athens, Greece.
