Teen girls are lined up along one wall of a Dimensions Dance Center studio gossiping, whispering, and giggling. It feels just like the backstage at a high school musical. But this is the Dances of ...

Chanting rhythmically as she drummed a stick called a thattukazhi against a wooden block, Kausi Subramaniam led 11 young girls through adavus, the basic steps of the classic form of Indian dance ...