Support Nootana
Nootana, meaning innovation, is a volunteer-run Indian classical music and dance ensemble based in the Washington, DC region. Nootana brings together musicians and dancers of all backgrounds to create original performances rooted in classical traditions and shaped through collaboration. Your contribution helps carry that work from the rehearsal room to the stage.
Mission
Nootana gives artists time and space to rehearse, experiment, learn from one another, and develop new work. Taking creative risks is part of the process. The resulting performances remain connected to classical traditions while reflecting the artists who create them.
History
Rishi Das founded Nootana in 2012. Since then, the ensemble has grown from a small group of artists into an established creative community while remaining entirely volunteer-run. Today, Nootana is a resident artist organization at Joe’s Movement Emporium, where its artists rehearse, collaborate, develop new work, and perform.
Impact
For artists, Nootana provides a place to test ideas, refine them with other performers, and carry the strongest ones to the stage. For audiences, Nootana offers original Indian classical music and dance performances designed to welcome both longtime followers and people encountering these forms for the first time. Guest and community performances create additional opportunities for artists and extend Nootana’s work beyond its major productions.
Our Reach and Recognition
For artists, Nootana provides a place to test ideas, refine them with other performers, and carry the14 years of sustained artistic work creating original Indian classical music and dance productions in the Washington, DC region.
Nearly 40 active artists currently rehearse, create, and perform with Nootana.
More than 85 performers, alumni, collaborators, and volunteers make up Nootana’s broader community.
Two major original productions each year anchor Nootana’s artistic season, alongside guest and community performances throughout the year.
Resident artist organization at Joe’s Movement Emporium, where Nootana’s artists rehearse, collaborate, develop new work, and perform.
NBC4 Working 4 the Community Award, presented to Nootana and Founder and Director Rishi Das in 2018 for their contributions to the Washington, DC area’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
The annual Preronadayini “Inspiration Giving” Award, presented to those who champion the arts, strengthen their communities, and inspire others through their leadership and service. The award is Nootana’s way of giving back to the people whose work helps the arts and artists thrive.
How Your Gift Helps
Contributions help meet the practical needs behind every production, including rehearsal and performance space, costumes, lighting, sound, and artistic development. This support gives Nootana’s artists the resources to create together and helps bring Indian classical music and dance to audiences throughout the Washington, DC region.
