Honoring the Memory of Medha Yodh

Medha Yodh became an adjunct faculty member in UCLA’s Dance Department in 1976 and remained a generous, innovative and inspiring dancer, teacher, and mentor until her retirement in 1994. She taught with reverence what she had learned from the legendary dancer Balasaraswati.

Medha was also an important leader in the dance community in Southern California, guiding dancers, choreographers and arts organizations and bridging South Asian dance with the larger dance community.

Medha Yodh (2007)

Dear friends of Medha, supporters of dance, and supporters of diversity,

Medha embodied the love of dance in all forms. Her passion was Bharata Natyam – for Medha it was "a magnificent tool to center human beings, to give them an inner sense of being and to teach them focus, poise, discipline and the integration of different arts" (Yodh quoted in LA Times, 7-18-07). During her 18 years at UCLA and countless years working with community organizations and private students, Medha was always a supporter of young talent. More than just a teacher, she was a mentor, friend, and inspiration to many.

Please join the friends and family of Medha Yodh in celebrating her life by giving your tax-deductible gift to the Medha Yodh Memorial Scholarship. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to create an endowment that will provide yearly fellowship support for graduate students from non-western dance backgrounds in the Department of World Arts and Cultures (WAC), UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.

It is largely the graduate students of WAC who bring to the department a stunning diversity of dance forms unrivaled in the country. Recent graduates have come to the department with expertise in dance forms from different parts of Asia such as Indonesia and India, as well as from Africa. These graduate students greatly influence undergraduate students and the broader community, exposing them to a wide variety of cultures, aesthetics and forms. Medha herself came to the United States as a graduate student at Stanford, not in dance, but in chemistry. Like many young South Asians, the practicality of science was an expected part of her background. Yet she broke those boundaries and proved herself exceptionally capable in creating a career in the arts. Help others who have shown talent to do the same.

Keep the spirit of Medha dancing! No amount is too small, and we are counting on you to help us achieve this goal. Please download both pages of the donation form and send them in to the UCLA address provided on the form.

In loving memory,

Kamal Muilenburg and Neila von Essen
Medha’s daughters

Ketu Katrak (UCI Professor) and Shyamala Moorty (Post Natyam Collective)
Former students of Medha

Donation Form

For more information, contact Shyamala at post.natyam@gmail.com

Medha Yodh (circa 1954)