Laksha Dantran is an artist with a powerful vision and over 30 years of experience in Indian classical dance, theater, and visual arts. Laksha has produced original theatre works that feature LGBTQ perspectives, which focus on emboldening the transgender identity. Through the arts, Laksha channels her strength as advocate for equality, among all identities.

From childhood, her only true companion was her growing passion for the arts; much of her early learning was self-taught. Eventually, she joined the Kalakshetra Foundation (Chennai), completing professional certification as a Bharatanatyam dance artist. She performed as a touring company artist and served as a teacher there for nearly five years.

Despite challenges she had experienced before and after her transition, the arts within her always lived to the fullest. As a part of the Chicago-based Indian classical dance community, she propels her personal story forward through her unique artist vision and talents.

Laksha is based in Chicago, where she has received recognition for her lifelong contributions. Laksha has received the prestigious 3Arts Award for Dance, a Chicago Artist Coalition award for visual arts, and has been Chicago festivals showcasing the range of her own work, from dance theatre to experimental performance art.

See Laksha perform at the Artist Showcase on Saturday, June 25th at Indian Boundary Park Cultural Center. She returns to the Cultural Center on Sunday, June 26th along with a range of Chicago’s Indian dance artists.

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