Sonya Kumar

Operations Administrator
sonya@movinghistorytogether.org

Sonya joined Moving History in 2020. An Indian classical dancer born and raised in Queens, NY, and now based in Tampa, FL, she is passionate about the authentic preservation of cultural arts. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Hunter College and is pursuing her Master’s in Anthropology at Harvard University Extension School, with academic interests in dance, biology, and folklore. She also earned an AAS in Visual Presentation & Exhibition Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology and previously interned in Asian Ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History.

Sonya studied Ballet, Jazz, and Modern as a CUNY Dance Major for two years—taking workshops with Alvin Ailey dancers and Robert Battle, as well as additional classes in Musical Theater, Hip Hop, and Afro-Cuban—and in 2023, she earned a Performing Arts Industry Essentials certificate from NYU | Tisch x Backstage on scholarship.

Sonya has taught, choreographed, and performed Indian classical and cinematic dance across the U.S., Canada, and India. From 2007–2019, she worked as a teacher and company dancer with award-winning Indian dance companies and continues to serve as a volunteer production assistant and dance captain for nonprofit stage productions.