Studs Terkel was known for a lot of things-his Pulitzer Prize-winning oral histories, his seemingly boundless appetite for life, and even his penchant for cigars. One of Studs’ less well-remembered legacies, however, is his tremendous admiration for the art of dance.

Pandit Satish Vyas visited the WFMT studios to perform on what he considers to be one of the most meditative and romantic instruments in the world: the santoor. It’s also one of the most ancient.

Getting into full costume and makeup to perform Chinese operas takes hours. You can see an artist from Chongqing Chuanju Opera Theatre transform herself in seconds.

Watch Anindo Chatterjee and his son Anubrata prove why they are two of the best percussionists in the world.

Sitarist Gaurv Mazumdar has been making music since he was a child, though first as a singer and violinist. Later, he began studying sitar with Pandit Ravi Shankar. Since, he has collaborated with some of the greatest musicians from different traditions, from internationally acclaimed veena player Jayanthi Kumaresh to legendary composer Philip Glass. In 2004, Mazumdar was nominated for a …

Sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar has lived her life around the world. Born in London, a city she currently calls home, Shankar spent her formative years in England, India, and the United States. Touring first with her father Pandit Ravi Shankar and later as a solo artist, she has also called many other countries her temporary home. Before embarking on …

When Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s greatest percussionists, speaks about his childhood in Mumbai, it’s easy to understand how his career has led him to collaborations with diverse artists from Ravi Shankar to Yo-Yo Ma to Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. “Every day I grew up studying the Quran, singing Christian hymns, and playing Hindu devotional music,” Hussain said …

Thousands of years before European ballet was born, Bharatanatyam flourished in India. The ancient art of Bharatanatyam seems to be having a bit of a moment in modern times. Months after appearing in Chicago, dancer Aparna Ramaswamy recently made her debut at the Joyce Theater in New York: one small step for a Bharatanatyam dancer, one giant, dazzling leap for Bharatanatyam …

Musicians today work across genres to create sounds that defy categorization, yet listeners crave categories. Saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, whose many awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, has created sounds that defy categorization for his latest project, Song of the Jasmine, an interdisciplinary collaboration with Ragamala Dance that comes to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago this weekend. Manhathappa was born in Italy to Indian …