Derived from Sanskrit Nayikas means 'voices of the feminine, heroines or actresses'.

Widely and critically acclaimed, Nayikas is New York's first resident classical Indian Odissi dance theater company; one of the only classical yet contemporary dance ensembles of multiethnic comprise in the South Asian Diaspora. Nayikas modernizes comprehension of the aesthetics of Odissi by exposing its gorgeous fluid design of the 'S' curve, taut geometry & complex rhythm grammar. Indulging the potent and suggestive power of this theatrical dance style, the Nayikas tell stories that privilege the often neglected voices of women protagonists, drawing from feminist iconography present in the footnotes of Indian mythology, history, literature and painting.

Performance credits include amongst others The Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Museum of the Arts, the Indian Consulate in New York, the MET in Soho, Chashama Theater, and Yale University. Principal dancer Sunanda Sammadar along with ensemble dancers Anurima Banerji, Maria Chaudhuri, Zidana Bell and others are from incredibly diverse backgrounds, with extensive training in Indian classical dance, predominantly Odissi and Bharatnatyam but also Jazz, Ballet and Modern. After joining the company, they have undertaken additional comprehensive training with Artistic Director & Choreographer, Myna Mukherjee in the Nayikas style of Odissi. This style is a conflux of two seminal lineages, that of Guru Deba Prasad Das/Guru Durga Charan Ranbir (with tribal & yogic roots); and; that of Guru Maya Dhar Raut/Guru Dibankar Kuntia (renowned for evocative & languid syntax).

'Samita - the Infinite within ', the current repertoire is an exploration of the frameworks of Odissi, seeking new space within its traditional boundaries. Choreographed to reflect the paradigm shift in solo vs. ensemble work, Samita uses the stage as partner and instrument to create symmetry within asymmetric spatial patterns. Assembled in Samita are narratives that depart from the usually seen, and offer instead an 'alternate' repertoire borrowed from the Tantric and Buddhist pantheon of a female centered cosmos. This preserves the essential spiritual core of the dance form, but without drowning in its spiraling context and often patriarchal religiosity.

Whether the depiction is through Kali - Goddess manifest or through the concept of Ardhanareshwara, the half-male/half female the ambition remains to explore the myriad dimensions, the various nuances and the complexities of the feminine as they have occurred. The repertoire also includes an experimental dance-spoken word-theater piece based on Tagore's fictional Chitrangada, her fears, reactions and interactions in a created alternative world of the sexual compliment, a departure from recognized male-female relationships. There is also an opportunity to touch upon the humanistic element of the female form, neither divine, nor vilified. Eternally universal.