A Hub for South Asian Arts in Scotland
Where practice meets context
We work across performance, education, outreach, and artist support. Read more about who we are, how we’re run, and what guides our work - then follow the strands of our programmes, people, and partnerships.
Vision
To establish Theiyā Arts as a pioneering hub for South Asian Arts in Scotland, where the richness of South Asian arts becomes a medium to engage with the socio-political dimensions of our world, and is made accessible to all.
Values & ethos
Artistic innovation - socio-politically rooted, activistic and deconstructive choreographic work, grounded in South Asian arts.
Feminist leadership - a collaborative, non-hierarchical and fluid approach to leadership, with people of colour in decision-making roles.
Access and inclusion - removing barriers to participation across age, ability, background, and income; bringing work into community spaces.
Support and community - building structures of care and professional support for artists and participants.
Representation - amplifying South Asian arts and voices within Scotland’s cultural narrative.
Environmental sustainability - minimising carbon impact and embedding sustainable practice in how we create and deliver work.
What we strive for
Across everything we do, we aim to build conditions where South Asian arts can be learned, practiced, and experienced with depth and integrity in Scotland.
What does this mean?
Stronger visibility and regular presence of South Asian artists and art forms in Scotland’s cultural life
Culturally grounded, critically engaged approaches to making and teaching, challenging narrow or limiting representations
Inclusive routes into participation for people who are under-served or under-represented in the arts
Meaningful pathways for emerging and young talent to develop, belong, and flourish
Learning environments shaped by rigour, care, and context. Supporting healthy relationships to practice and tradition
Meet the Team
Theiyā Arts operates through a non-hierarchical, feminist leadership model of governance and administration, with shared decision-making and project leadership shaped by expertise.
We are led by a core team of five artists, working collaboratively across the organisation’s programme strands. Our work is strengthened through ongoing collaboration with community partners, organisational partners, and freelance artists, alongside the guidance and oversight of our Board of Trustees.
Karen Watts (she/her)
Learning and Participation Lead
Karen is a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher with a Masters degree in Community Development. She co-founded Theiyā Arts in 2019, bringing 20+ years of expertise in community-based arts and extensive experience of working with people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds.
She is passionate about making the arts accessible and inclusive, and enabling people to express themselves artistically through the vocabulary of South Asian Arts. Artistically, she enjoys performing the classical repertoire, as well as exploring socio-political themes through more contemporary representations.
Contact: Karen@theiya.org
Himadri Madan (she/her)
Creative Partnerships & Choreographic Lead
Himadri is a choreographer, performer and dance educator trained in Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Bollywood. She gained a BA (Hons) in Choreography from Bangalore University (2015) and an MFA in Choreography from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (as a Leverhulme Trust scholar, 2021).
Her choreographic work is rooted in socio-political themes, and she often approaches South Asian dance through a post-modern contemporary lens. Having performed in and choreographed productions in India, she moved to the UK in 2019 and continues her work through a Global Talent visa—leading choreographic development within Theiyā Arts while also creating independent choreographies.
Contact: himadri@theiya.org
Gaby Albornoz (she/her)
Arts Management and Organisational Development Lead
With a decade of experience in the private sector and a qualification in Social Communication, Gaby began exploring Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam in 2007, later expanding into other forms such as Flamenco.
By 2012, she began merging arts and management—supporting organisations including Gungur Indian Fine Arts (Buenos Aires) and Dance Ihayami (Scotland). Since co-founding Theiyā Arts in 2019, she has blended branding, communication and marketing expertise with her work as a performer, choreographer and creative producer, while holding Theiyā’s long-term vision and arts management.
Contact: gaby@theiya.org
Dr. Nandini Manjunath (she/her)
Arts-led Research & Choreographic Lead
Nandini is a choreographer, a Kathak dancer, a dance movement psychotherapist and an arts-based researcher, with a Doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy. She is currently a part-time Lecturer in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh. She also holds a Diploma in Kathak and a BA (Hons) in Choreography.
In her present artistic practice, she explores the in-between spaces of the creative and the academic, and is passionate about bringing her dancer, psychotherapist, social activist and Decolonial feminist researcher selves into the different spaces she lives and works in.
Contact: nandini@theiya.org
Tharanga Wickramasinghe (she/her)
Arts in Health and Wellbeing Lead
Tharanga is a Sri Lankan classical dance artist, choreographer and instructor with over 15 years of training, primarily in Kandyan dance. Her passion for dance, alongside her drive for justice and equality and her experience of yoga and meditation, has led her to explore the transformative power of creative, mindful and embodied movement towards holistic wellbeing for individuals and society.
While experimenting with contemporary-classical repertoire on socio-political themes, she works closely with different demographic communities—making dance and yoga available and accessible.
Contact: thara@theiya.org
The Wider team
In addition to the Core Team, Theiyā Arts School is supported by freelance teachers and artists who bring deep training, care, and cultural knowledge into each class. Together, we create learning spaces that are welcoming and inclusive, and critically rooted in cultural, historical, and socio-political context - so participants can learn with rigour, care, and clarity.
Patrick Smith
Kathak Instructor
Kavya Vusikala
Bharatanatyam Instructor
Sanath Kumar
Bharatanatyam Instructor
&
Stage Manager
Taarini
Bharatanatyam Instructor
Chelsie
Kathak Instructor
Board of Trustees
Our board meets quarterly to provide guidance, oversight, and strategic direction, and reflects the diversity of our team and communities.
Neeta Mathur
(Business Analyst)
Chair Person
Lucas Ziccardi
(Information Security/ vCISO)
Risk Management Consultant
Fleur Darkin
(Director, Fleur Darkin Presence Projects)
Trustee
Ewa Adamiec
(Musician & Composer)
Trustee
Sara Johnstone
(Membership & Studio Manager, The Work Room)
Trustee
Nithyashree Vijayakumar (Youth Representative)
Trustee
Who we work with
We’re always open to thoughtful partnerships that support communities and strengthen South Asian arts across Scotland. If you’re interested in collaborating with us, we’d love to start a conversation.
Funded by
Theiyā Arts is proud to be part of Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding portfolio. This recognition supports our collaborative, non-hierarchical approach and enables us to continue investing in artists, communities, and the sustainable growth of South Asian arts across Scotland.
Make a difference
Every donation helps Theiyā Arts widen access to South Asian arts in Scotland, supporting classes, community programmes, artist development, and performances rooted in care and context.
Every contribution strengthens our ability to offer inclusive pathways, reduce financial barriers, and sustain the work beyond project-by-project funding.
