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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JULY 31, 2026 | The Indian Eye 26

Indo-American Arts Council to present

Erasing Borders Dance Festival in September

OUR BUREAU
New York, NY
he Indo-American Arts Coun-
cil will present the 18th Annual
TErasing Borders Dance Festi-
val on Saturday, September 19, 2026,
and Sunday, September 20, 2026, at
6PM at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunt-
er College, 68th Street between Park
and Lexington Avenues.
New York’s premier Indian
dance festival, Erasing Borders,
hosted by the Indo-American Arts
Council, features performances by
eminent Bharatanatyam, Kathak,
and Odissi artists as well as US-based
dance companies. Saturday, Sep-
tember 19, features Bharatanatyam
and Kalaripayattu group Radhe
Jaggie and Team, a Kuchipudi solo
by Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govard-
hanan, and Kathak trio Shila Mehta.
Sunday, September 20, will include
a performance by Dr. Neena Prasad
Mohiniyattam group, the Odissi trio
Arushi Mudgal, and a contemporary Odissi dancer and choreographer Dod Mantle. tradition has PERFORMANCE LINEUP
celebrated for her technical virtuosity
The
Kathak
solo by Preeti Vasudevan. Experi-
Saturday, September 19, 2026
ence the magic of the festival by re- and innovative approach to tradition. evolved such that there is typically a | 6-8PM, The Kaye Playhouse
clear separation between nritta and
Sawani Mudgal is a distinguished
serving your tickets for this unforget-
table two-night celebration. Hindustani classical vocalist known abhinaya in the items of the classical • Ganesh Vasudev and Nitya Nara-
simhan: Bharatanatyam duo
for her versatility as a performer, mu- repertoire. But what if the bhava of
ABOUT THE ARTISTS sic educator, and collaborator. a young nayika was interwoven into • Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govard-
Radhe Jaggi is a Bharatanatyam Preeti Vasudevan is an the Tarana structure, one that is typ- hanan: Kuchipudi solo
artist whose dance is an exquisite bal- award-winning and critically ac- ically only nritta-based? The result is • Shila Mehta, Salonee Satagar,
ance of grace, tradition, and depth. A claimed choreographer. Preeti’s a beautiful confluence of storytelling Sanchita Dighe: Kathak trio
disciple of Smt. Leela Samson, she provocative and unconventional sto- and the highlights of the Kathak tech- • Preeti Vasudevan: Contemporary solo
trained at Kalakshetra Foundation rytelling challenges the status quo of nique, creating a beautiful visual as • Radhe Jaggi and Team,
and holds a Post Graduate Diploma dance-theater, bridging ancient tra- elements of Sringara are woven into Bharatanatyam and Kalaripayattu
in Arts Management from Dakshina ditions with the contemporary world. rhythmic tukdas and footwork. This Sunday, September 20, 2026
Chitra, Chennai. Ganesh Vasudev is a uniquely crafted Tarana is in Raag | 6-8PM, The Kaye Playhouse
Dr. Neena Prasad is recognized Bharatanatyam dancer, choreogra- Bhageshree set to Jhap Taal, choreo-
as a distinguished dancer of the na- pher and researcher who has been graphed by Gurus Smt Nirupama Ra- • Radha Varadan: Kathak solo
• Neena Prasad and Musicians: Mo-
tion, noted for her evocative and in- performing his own works for the jendra and Sri TD Rajendra. hiniyattam group
tellectually nuanced choreography, last 15 years. He has been training Rama Vaidyanathan is one of the • Aparna Sindhoor & Anil Natyaveda:
which seamlessly integrates tradi- for more than 30 years and under the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of Sindhoor Natya, Navarasa group
tion with contemporary sensibilities, guidance of Bragha Bessel since 2009. her generation. She trained inten- • Arushi & Sawani Mudgal: Odissi trio
thereby expanding the expressive and Nitya Narasimhan is a sively under the legendary dancer
thematic horizons of Mohiniyattam. Bharatanatyam artist from Califor- Yamini Krishnamurthy and the cel- ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING:
Shila Mehta is a distinguished nia, USA. As the artistic director of ebrated Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan.
Kathak artist, scholar, performer, Prayukti Arts, she is actively building In a performance career spanning Fifth Annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Lecture
and pedagogue with over four de- a community for Indian arts in the more than 40 years, Rama has de- | September 24, 2026 at 6PM
cades of experience in performance, Bay Area. veloped her own individual style
education, and research. Aparna Sindhoor, Artistic Di- without forsaking the core principles • Bruno Walter Auditorium, New
York Public Library for the Per-
Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govard- rector of Sindhoor Natya - Navara- of her dance form. Her technique
forming Arts
hanan is a renowned Kuchipudi danc- sa, is a Mysore-style Bharatanatyam is grounded, and yet there is a fresh • The Balanced Dance as a Journey
er, choreographer, and researcher exponent. She creates a unique style approach to the innumerable dance Towards Inner Stillness and Equa-
from Kerala, India. of dance-theater and has worked in compositions that she has added to nimity by Rama Vaidyanathan
Arushi Mudgal is an acclaimed films with Oscar-winning Anthony the Bharatanatyam repertoire.

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