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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JULY 25, 2025 | The Indian Eye 18

A Celebration of Grace and Tradition:

IAAC’s Erasing Borders Dance Festival

Returns to New York

Curated with a vision to transcend cultural boundaries through movement, the festival will feature a carefully

selected repertoire from renowned maestros and rising stars alike

OUR BUREAU namurthy and her mother-in-law Sa-
roja Vaidyanathan. Rama has graced
New York, NY
every major stage across the globe and
his September, the rhythm of been honored with India’s most pres-
India will echo through Man- tigious dance awards, including the
Thattan as the Indo-American Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar.
Arts Council (IAAC) brings back its Her daughter Dakshina and
much-anticipated Erasing Borders niece Sannidhi continue the legacy,
Dance Festival, a luminous celebra- having trained rigorously under the
tion of Indian classical and contempo- same lineage. Both have performed
rary dance. Now in its 17th year, the internationally and carry forward the
festival will unfold over two magical rich teachings of Ganesa Natyalaya
evenings — Saturday, September 20, with distinction.
and Sunday, September 21, 2025 — at At its heart, the Erasing Borders
the Ailey Citigroup Theater, offering Dance Festival is more than an event
New York audiences a rare glimpse — it’s a movement. A movement
into the soul of Indian dance. that brings ancient traditions to a
Curated with a vision to tran- modern stage, that redefines bor-
scend cultural boundaries through ders not as boundaries, but as bridg-
movement, the festival will feature es. Whether you are a connoisseur
a carefully selected repertoire from of Indian classical arts or a curious
renowned maestros and rising stars newcomer, this festival offers a mes-
alike. Tickets start at $25are available merizing journey into a world where
at the IAAC website. storytelling lives through movement,
Saturday, September 20, opens ter Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel er, teacher, and former Director of rhythm, and spirit.
with a vibrant display of traditional and Sannidhi Vaidyanathan, continu- Kalakshetra Foundation, Govind is The Indo-American Arts Coun-
Indian dance forms. The evening be- ing a remarkable family legacy in In- now the force behind NavaDarshana, cil, the force behind this remarkable
gins with a student Bharatanatyam dian dance. an initiative promoting a holistic view festival, champions Indian arts across
group from Nrithyanjali School un- The festival isn’t confined to the of dance. classical, folk, fusion, and experimen-
der Guru Ramya Ramnarayan, fol- stage. On September 18, the New Rama Vaidyanathan, another tow- tal forms. Through initiatives like
lowed by Trina Sarkar performing an York Public Library hosts the Dr. ering figure in Bharatanatyam, brings the Erasing Borders Dance Festival,
Odissi solo. The rhythm intensifies Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture, a fresh, grounded approach to tradi- IAAC fosters artistic exchange, en-
with a Kuchipudi group from Kala- featuring Priyadarsini Govind at the tion. Her performances are known abling Indian artists to showcase their
nidhi and a spirited Kathak presenta- Bruno Walter Auditorium. Drawing for their dynamism, rooted in her craft in North America while cultivat-
tion by the Chitresh Das Dance Com- from her tutelage under Padma Bhu- intensive training with Yamini Krish- ing a vibrant cultural dialogue.
pany. The highlight of the evening is shan Kalanidhi Narayanan, Govind
the solo performance by the legend- will explore how everyday emotions
ary Priyadarsini Govind, whose mas- are transformed into stylized dance
tery of abhinaya has earned her glob- expression through abhinaya.
al acclaim. Adding an academic dimension,
Sunday, September 21, offers an a panel discussion will take place at
equally captivating lineup: the Odis- Barnard College on September 22,
si Dance Company under Aparu- moderated by festival curator and
pa Chatterjee, a Kuchipudi solo by dance scholar Uttara Coorlawala.
Pranamya Suri, and a contemporary Here, students and artists will engage
group work by Rovaco Dance Com- with questions of identity, tradition,
pany, led by Rohan Bhargava. Preeti and innovation in Indian dance.
Vasudevan brings her signature con- Priyadarsini Govind is one of
temporary solo, bridging tradition the world’s foremost exponents of
with innovation. The finale is a pow- Bharatanatyam, trained by stalwarts
erful Bharatanatyam trio by Rama S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai and Kala-
Vaidyanathan, joined by her daugh- nidhi Narayanan. A tireless perform-

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