Bengali Music Group of Austin (BMGA)
Vidhya was introduced to BMGA soon after she came to Austin by her friend and one of its founders, Smt. Brinda Roy. In BMGA, Vidhya found an enthusiastic group led by Smt. Maitreyi Mitra who promoted their traditional culture with well practiced renditions of Bengali poetry, music and dance at regular get-togethers and frequent productions for local cultural events. With Vidhya’s Bharatanatyam, an eclectic mix of traditional Bengali and Bharatanatyam traditions was born and the folks at BMGA warmly embraced this and made her their own. Performances with BMGA have given Vidhya the opportunity to dance and choreograph for Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geethi and traditional Bengali dance dramas. Vidhya’s collaborations with BMGA have featured in Houston Durga Bari, Austin South Asian New Year Festival, Rabindra-Nazrul Jayanthi, Bijoya Sammiloni, and EkAyana among other things.
Srishti
Soon after Vidhya moved to Austin, she was introduced by Smt. Vinita Subramanian (Founder of Natyalaya School of Dance) to other Bharatanatyam artists Gayathri Iyer, Pavithra Ramadoss, Sreelatha Madduri, Seshatre Natarajan, Mayura Ravi and Lakshmi Nair. Together they formed Srishti. As Srishti, Vidhya with her fellow dancers have performed compositions such as Nauka Charithram, Thyagarasa, and from Pancharathna Kritis at the Austin Thyagaraja Aradhana Festivals including their Silver Jubilee in 2017, Austin India Fine Art’s Rama Navami festivals, and Kalalaya’s 25th anniversary celebrations among others. Recent performances of Shivoham also included collaborations with singers and musicians from the Austin Antarnaada group at Houston and Austin. While the artists of Srishti pursue their individual careers, they still get together periodically to combine their skill and experience for joint productions and performances.
Sangam
Working closely with Smt. Raka Bhaduri during BMGA events, Vidhya realized they enjoyed their collaborations so much that they should take it to the next step, and Sangam was born. Sangam brings together the Bharathanatyam traditions of South India with Hindustani music of the North into a unique blend that intrigues and pleases the audience as much as it excites Vidhya and Raka to create it. Smt. Chandana Nadimenti soon joined this endeavor adding another unique dimension with her Veena. Other artists who have been part of this journey include Shri. Ajit Deshmukh (Tabla), Shri. Ashwin Kamath (Tabla), Shri. Ravi Saraf (Flute), and Master Aditya Yogananda (Mridangam). Sangam creations have been presented at the Texas Music Musuem’s 9th International Music Festival (2019), Austin Dragon Boat Festival (2019), City of Austin’s New Year Celebrations (2017), Austin Venkateshwara Temple’s Navarathri Celebrations (2017, 2018), and SPICMACAY Texas A&M University Baithak Fall 2018.
Jugalbandhi
While being an exponent of Bharathanatyam, Vidhya has also enjoyed mingling the style with other traditional dance styles. By working with artists from other styles Vidhya has had the pleasure of creating and performing Jugalbandhis of Bharathanatyam with Kathak, Odissi and Kuchipudi.
Vidhya Karthick 