“Nataraj Dance: The Heartbeat of the Universe” focuses on women in the Pioneer Valley who participate in Indian classical dance. Indian Dance was brought to the Pioneer Valley in 1982 when Guru Ranjanaa Devi, the founder of Nataraj and the Indian dance teacher at Mount Holyoke College, moved to the area. Devi established Nataraj Performing Arts of India as a non-profit studio dedicated to educating dancers about Indian dance.
The documentary traces the history of Indian dance, how it came to the Valley, and its intricacies and idiosyncrasies through Guru Devi’s words and the importance of Indian dance in the dancers’ lives- students at Mount Holyoke College in Guru Devi’s class and a Nataraj dancer involved professionally in other dance forms.