in 1953, kamala was invited to perform for queen elizabeth ii during her coronation festivities. in the late 1950s she toured internationally, performing in china and japan. in 1970, the government of india awarded her the padma bhushan, india's third highest civilian award. she also taught dance for two terms at colgate university after being awarded its branta professorship in 1975. in 1980, kamala moved to new york city permanently and began teaching classical dance. she established a dance school in long island, shri bharatha kamalalaya. in 2010 she received a national heritage fellowship from the national endowment for the arts for her contributions to the arts.