Kali Futnani has been learning, performing and teaching Bharatanatyam for 40 years. Kali started her training at Kalanjali Dances of India in Berkeley. She graduated from Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts in Chennai, India with a BFA in Dance and Choreography and then joined the Chennai branch of Kalanjali. After ten years in Chennai, Kali returned to San Francisco where she got a BA from Mills College in Sociology and Economics and a MCP from UC Berkeley. Throughout that time Kali was a teacher and performer with Kalanjali. Last year she started her own school, Kali Dance Academy, continuing the tradition of Kalakshetra style Bharatanatyam.
Kali is an Environmental Planner, has a daughter just starting graduate school at NYU, a step-daughter attending NYU as a undergraduate student and another step-daughter who is a senior at Berkeley High. Her partner is a scientist at Berkeley Lab and they share two dogs, Buster and Luna.