Rathna Kumar is the Director of Indian Performing Arts Samskriti, the first and largest Indian performing arts institute in Texas, now celebrating 36 years of teaching and promoting traditional excellence. Author of the acclaimed book "Adavu," a reference guide of Indian Dance technique, Rathna brings creativity, originality, and innovation to all her productions. As an internationally renowned art educator and teaching artist, she shares her art and cultural heritage with hundreds of schoolchildren throughout the city and travels the world presenting the ancient art of Indian classical dance to audiences of all kinds. Rathna Kumar has been recognized by Young Audiences of Houston, Miller Theater Advisory Board, Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and UNESCO’s International Dance Council as a true cultural ambassador of Indian performing arts in the US.