Mythili Prakash - 'She's Auspicious'

“She’s Auspicious” blurs the lines between Goddess and Woman to explore the paradox of femininity.

For Mythili, the starting point of this piece has been a study of her own identity–as a woman, a mother, a performer, a person of color born and raised in the US, and a person of privilege–an upper-caste practitioner of a dance form with a complicated history of erasure.

Featuring an all-female cast, including dancer/choreographer Mythili Prakash and three musicians, this work references mythological and cultural practices surrounding the Goddess, as well as the societal expectations of femininity.

About The Artist:

Indian-American artist Mythili Prakash is considered one of the most celebrated Bharatanatyam dancers/choreographers today.

She is known for her deep mastery of the form, powerful presence, and incisive thinking, the combination of which forges connections across cultures to find personal connections with viewers worldwide.

“For many years I have been searching for an artist who deeply inhabits and embodies the ancient worlds of Bharatanatyam, and yet equally has the sensibility and curiosity of our present world. And rarely, when these two worlds effortlessly collapse into each other, a unique voice is born… This is what I witness in Mythili’s artistry. Watching her, I feel her performance is never about lying to herself… But it is actually about becoming herself.”

– Akram Khan, dancer/choreographer

The presentation of Mythili Prakash was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.