Harikishan S Nair is an accomplished dance artist, teacher, choreographer, mentor, dramaturge, and rehearsal director. As the Artistic Director of Regatta Kala Kendra, he is an active member of the community and a passionate advocate for equity within the dance sector for practitioners of South Asian dance. He also serves as a community leader in articulating issues on how these performance aesthetics interface with established institutions of dominant dance presenting/curation in Canada.
Born and raised in Kerala, India, Harikishan has been dancing since the age of 3 and is fluent in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchipudi.
He has created, performed, produced, and toured works as an independent artist. He has worked with renowned choreographers and dancers, such as Dr Padma Subramanyam, Madurai R Muralidharan, Dr Menaka Thakkar, Janak Khendry, Uma Murali, Brandy Leary, Harikrishnan, and Lata Pada.
He frequently tours with new choreographic works, conducting teaching workshops and master classes across North America and has presented his works at numerous dance festivals in India, UK, Canada, and the USA.
Currently, he is a Co-founder of ATAM arts Collective, an Associate Artistic Director at Anandam Dance Theatre, and a Co-Director at SADAC-South Asian Dance Alliance of Canada.
Harikishan has been generously supported by the Metcalf Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council, enabling him to continue building his artistic practice and leadership skills in this sector.