Sukanya Burman

Artist

Sukanya Burman is the first South Asian member of NYS DanceForce (a NYSCA partner) and has extensive experience in Indian Classical and Modern Dance, with over 30 years in Bharatanatyam, 13+ years in Kathak, and 10+ years in modern dance. She has performed nationally and internationally, including at prestigious venues such as Det Kongelige Teater in Denmark.

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In 2022, she was honored as a Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion Artist and received the New York State Choreographer’s Initiative grant. In 2023, Sukanya was an award recipient of NYSCA’s Support for Artists in Folk and Traditional Arts for her project “The Bayadere: The Past, Present, and the Future.” She created and premiered “The Bayadere” in September 2023 at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown to substantial acclaim, identifying and developing regional dance artists to feature within this production. Due to her contributions to the community, she was recognized as a YWCA Jamestown 2023 Women of Achievement for the Power the Future Award.

In 2024, she was invited to perform and teach at the American College Dance Association conference in Rochester, presenting and teaching Bharatanatyam. Additionally, she was selected as a member of the first HueArts NYS Leadership Cohort.

Under Sukanya’s leadership, Sukanya Burman Dance is organizing the Jamestown Dance Festival later this year, a first-of-its-kind event in the Western NY region. This festival will feature dance artists and companies from under-represented forms, broadening the regional dance landscape by showcasing award-winning performers. As a first-generation American and South Asian immigrant artist, Sukanya brings a unique and valuable perspective to the arts.