Dancing between worlds: Arunima Kumar's diasporic journey

- Bibin Balan
e-mail: punarjjaniculturalcentre@gmail.com
Photos courtesy: AKDC

December 7, 2025

Homecoming... It's a different feeling. It's been sixteen years. That is how long it has been since Arunima Kumar began her back and forth journeys between India and the United Kingdom. Yet this time, her return feels personal. After preparing for one year, she fulfilled her vital duty as a mentor guiding more than twenty of her students, all born and raised in the UK, on a cultural exchange that mirrors her own journey of discovery. For these children, this visit is a chance to feel the pulse of India, to understand the Guru Shishya Parampara, and to witness how classical art breathes within its homeland. For Arunima, it is a full circle moment, a return to the source after years spent carving her place abroad.

Her diasporic journey began in 2009. A young Kuchipudi dancer newly arrived in London, she carried passion, memories of India, and a quiet uncertainty about how she would continue her art in a foreign country. The gaps were clear. Identity felt fragile. Awareness and appreciation for Indian classical arts were limited. Kuchipudi was neither known nor programmed, organisers preferred Bollywood over classical traditions, and performances were often restricted to Diwali or Indian cultural events.

Arunima Kumar

Finally, there was an opportunity at Southbank centre, one of London's premiere art institutions but it required auditioning for a dance company. Despite having numerous accolades and awards from India, she took the bold step to audition. The next few months she worked hard on her technique, watched other performers and concerts to understand the pulse of London arts and finally on the day of audition - she walked into the room full of the most talented and outstanding artistes from across the globe. She realised that the only way into mainstream British arts was - excellence - and true merit of performance. That audition humbled her, but it also opened a door. She saw clearly what global audiences expected, what discipline and preparation meant, and how different the landscape was from the stages she knew in India. It changed her as a performer and as a person. That one performance opened many doors to promoters, organisers, collaborators.

Soon she felt a tug that she could no longer ignore. The conflict between her stable corporate profession and her artistic calling became overwhelming. She made a decision that many would have called reckless. She left her successful job to devote herself entirely to dance. In India, classical artistes often depended on sponsored or free shows. In the UK, art was ticketed where audiences valued art enough to watch it, appreciate and sustain it if they wanted it. She booked a venue for her first solo production and held her breath. When seventy to eighty percent of the tickets sold out, she realized she had stepped into the future she had been dreaming of. That success gave birth to the Arunima Kumar Dance Company (AKDC), a platform that reimagined Indian classical dance for global audiences while honoring its traditional spirit.

Gala

Jérôme Bel's award-winning work, Gala

Collaborations with various artistes, soon became the heartbeat of her work. She experimented with new narratives and movement vocabularies without compromising Kuchipudi's soul. As a dancer in celebrated French choreographer Jérôme Bel's award winning work -- Gala - which toured from Sadlers Wells to Tate Modern. This process marked another turning point in her artistic journey and expanded her understanding of inclusivity and contemporary expression. It was transformative as she saw wheelchair dancers perform with the same elan as a professional ballet dancer. She then worked as choreographer and dancer on Antardrishti or "Inner Vision" project that included visually impaired musicians, composed and led by the incredible musician Balaji Srivastav OBE which toured Royal festival hall in India. Each creative project carried a risk, yet each revealed new layers of creativity.

Antardrishti, with visually impaired musicians

Her next chapter became one of giving back. In 2014 she began teaching through 'shall worship' at the famous Saatchi Gallery in the UK. These became very popular and soon the demand for regular classes grew as there were limited professional teachers in Indian classical arts even though some of her students were of Indian origin but they were far removed from their culture. Through dance, storytelling and performances, she offered them a bridge to fund pride in their identity. She developed artistes through workshops and intensive training, created solo and group productions that pushed artistic boundaries, and her work with communities provided access to dance to care homes, prisons, schools, and community spaces. She believed that art was not meant to be confined to the stage but could act as a force of empathy and unity. She even explored the role of technology in choreography, as part of AKDC's experimental projects, proving that classical dance could evolve with time while remaining rooted in tradition.

By 2017, her dedication had drawn international attention. During the India and UK year of culture announced by the honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she choreographed and presented a site specific production with some of the best Indian artistes in London, at the iconic Buckingham Palace, for her late Majesty the Queen, that marked her arrival as a key cultural leader. It was a moment that reflected how far she had come, from navigating an uncertain audition in 2009 to creating work that represented India on a global platform.

She went on to curate and organise Rang - the largest inclusive festival of Kuchipudi in London, revived pieces like Bhama Kalapam and created new pieces like Stree, Bandeeni and Burnt which got rave reviews.

During Covid, Arunima seamlessly moved her classes and performances online and created a path breaking work - Katha - an inclusive online dance festival involving grandparents and children that united them digitally through the power of folk stories dramatised through Kuchipudi. This was featured on BBC. She presented performances across iconic venues and festivals including Westminster Abbey, Victoria & Albert Museum, Maritime museum, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Scotland Yard, British Army, Indian Embassy, Science museum for honorable prime minister Narendra Modi and King Charles III, No 10 Downing Street for former Prime Minister of Britain Rishi Sunak, as well as current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. She received over 40 awards and recognitions including recognition at the House of Lords.

Arunima with PM Narendra Modi and King Charles III

In 2025, Arunima returned to India not as a lone traveller but as a visionary leader guiding young dancers toward their roots. Arunima Kumar Dance Company's India-UK Kuchipudi tour began as Arunima's mission to help young British and Polish students connect with India's artistic roots. After years of teaching diaspora children in the UK and watching their growing curiosity about heritage, Arunima envisioned a programme that would bring them to India to experience classical dance at its source. With support from the British Council India, this idea grew into Samarpanam - A Dance Offering. The week-long tour in New Delhi included masterclasses with leading gurus, workshops in multiple dance forms, cultural tours, collaborative rehearsals with Indian students, and community outreach. It culminated in a final showcase on 24 October 2025 at India Habitat Centre. The tour reflects Arunima's long term effort to build cultural bridges through Kuchipudi and to give the next generation a direct, immersive link to India's living traditions.

Before moving to the United Kingdom, Arunima Kumar was a celebrated Kuchipudi dancer from New Delhi, trained under acclaimed gurus Swapna Sundari and Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao. Beginning her training at a young age, she grew into a dynamic performer known for her expressive artistry and deep grounding in classical tradition. Her dedication to the art form earned her the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, marking her as one of India's leading young Kuchipudi practitioners even before she embarked on her international journey. On 16th October 2025, she was awarded the King's Honor for her contribution to dance and community service, the first Kuchipudi dancer to receive this honor.

In conversation with us, Arunima expressed her gratitude for this award recognising those who supported her through her journey. Despite several gate keepers she remained true to her love for dance, Kuchipudi and her values of guru shishya parampara. She explained her future vision of transforming lives through dance through three key paths: performances, professional training, and community engagement. She hopes to revive traditional Kuchipudi pieces while also exploring innovative ideas like Shakespeare in Kuchipudi, and she aims to create a more systematic and professional curriculum for young dancers so the art form is lived rather than treated as a casual hobby.

"For me, art inspires only when it has a soul, so I work hard to stay at my best for my students and audiences. I hope what moves me can move them too. I try to stay fearless, dream big, and follow my own path, trusting my conviction rather than any rulebook," she added.

Her Guru Vanashree Rao beautifully reflects, "It was rare and inspiring to see a young North Indian girl embrace the 'Kuchipudi' with such sincerity. Watching her grow since she came to us at the age of 8, has been a joy and pride. Her recent recognition by the British Government is well deserved for taking Kuchipudi to the UK and across Europe with such grace."

Bibin Balan, Managing Editor of Punarjjani Bharat, is working on cultural advancement based on digital media platforms. His area of focus is on promotion of performing arts and digital contents under this category. He is a Yoga Educator based in New Delhi since 2008.

Post your comments
Please provide your name and email id along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name and email id in the blog will also be featured in the site.