Erasing Borders Dance Festival 2025
Indo-American Arts Council
presents
Erasing Borders Dance Festival
September 20-21, 2025 | 6PM
Ailey Citigroup Theater
Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 6PM, Bruno Walter Auditorium The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023 |
|
Fourth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture Presented by the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts in Partnership with the Indo-American Arts Council |
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 6-8PM, Ailey Citigroup Theater |
School: Nrithyanjali School/Guru: Ramya Ramnarayan/Bharatanatyam student group |
Trina Sarkar: Odissi solo |
Kalanidhi: Kuchipudi group |
Chitresh Das Dance Company: Kathak group |
Priyadarsini Govind: Bharatanatyam solo |
Sunday, September 21, 2025 | 6-8PM, Ailey Citigroup Theater |
School: Odissi Dance Company/Guru: Aparupa Chatterjee/Odissi student group |
Pranamya Suri: Kuchipudi solo |
Rovaco Dance Company/Rohan Bhargava: Group contemporary |
Preeti Vasudevan: contemporary solo (Thresh Dance) |
Rama Vaidyanathan trio: Bharatanatyam |
Indo-American Arts Council
in Partnership with the
The Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts
Presented by
Fourth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture
September 18, 2025 | 6PM
Bruno Walter Auditorium
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
Priyadarsini Govind is an influential dancer in the world of Bharatanatyam, one of the eight classical Indian dances. For the fourth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture presented by the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts, Govind presents and performs around Bharatanatyam, showing how universal human emotions are interpreted and transformed through the lens of classical dance.
Indo-American Arts Council
presents
Erasing Borders Dance Festival
September 20, 2025 | 6PM
Ailey Citigroup Theater
New York’s premier Indian dance fest, the Erasing Borders Dance Festival hosted by Indo-American Arts Council. On Saturday Sept 20, 2025 a local dance school, several US based dance companies and eminent Bharatanatyam artist Priyadarsini Govind will be performing.
School: Nrithyanjali School/Guru: Ramya Ramnarayan/Bharatanatyam student group
Smt Ramya is recognized globally as one of the leading exponents of Bharatanatyam.
The New York Times has called Ramya Ramnarayan “a considerable virtuoso and a complex stylist.”
She is the protégé of two legendary dance maestros—” Kalaimamani” S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai and “Padma Bhushan” Kalanidhi Narayanan—and a recipient of the illustrious “Kalaimamani'' award herself along with many other global accolades such as Natana mamani, Nirthya Seva Mani. She is an 'A' grade artist Doordarshan, India, she is an ICCR empanelled artist and in 2024 she received the community impact award from the State of NJ for high artistic excellence.
As an artist, she combines tradition with innovation to connect with global audiences and communities as a performer, choreographer, and educator.
Ramya has been a practicing artist, and a dance educator and is one of few U.S.-based Bharatanatyam artists invited annually to headline the prestigious December Season in Chennai, India.
Ramya has performed at numerous prestigious global venues including the Madras Music Academy, International Fringe Festival, Asia Society, Lincoln Centre, and Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana to name a few.
In 2024 Ramya has been selected as the United States chapter head of ABHAI East Coast (Association for Bharatanatyam Dancers). In 2008 and 2023 Ramya received the Artist Fellowship Award for Choreography from New Jersey State Council of the Arts (NJSCA) and Mid Atlantic Foundation of Arts.
She was also recognized as a Master Teaching Artist by New Jersey State Council of the Arts. The Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey even passed a joint resolution recognizing Ramya for her commitment, dedication, and achievement in the arts sector.
She was a visiting faculty member at both Mason Gross School of Arts, NJ and Sarah Lawrence College, NY and has also conducted lecture demonstrations at numerous schools, colleges, and libraries, disseminating her art to over 10,000 interested learners around the world annually.
She has released a two-part dance video a tribute to her Guru, the legendary Natyaacharya S K Rajarathnam Pillai. It contains recordings in his treasured voice, along with a demo of his repertoire and choreography by Ramya.
She is one among 9 artists in the state of NJ to have been selected to participate in Dodge Dance Lab, a teaching laboratory. Ramya is also one among 20 professionals selected by the Grunin Foundation to attend an arts professional learning Institute.
Ramya has taken an active role in helping worthy causes and over the years she has raised over $200,000 for charities in both the U.S. and India including The American Red Cross, Wellness Community Canter, Easton Hospital, Kids Peace America, Free the Children, Sankara Eye Foundation, Guruvayurappan Sannidhi and more by organizing dance performances.
Recently Ramya received the New Jersey State Heritage Fellowship, the state's highest honor for artists, awarded on July 22nd, 2025, in the presence of the Deputy Governor of NJ at the George Washington Ballroom in the War Memorial Building, Trenton, NJ.
This prestigious award recognizes high artistic excellence, contributions to New Jersey's living cultural heritage, and lifetime achievement, as determined by the New Jersey State Council of the Arts. I am privileged to be among the top ten artists selected statewide across diverse disciplines including music, dance, visual arts, and traditional handicrafts.
Trina Sarkar: Odissi solo
Trina Sarkar is an Odissi dancer and instructor based in New York City. She began her Odissi journey with Smt Nandita Behera in Los Angeles, CA and has since performed extensively around the globe. Some notable performances include the International Odissi Dance Festival in Bhubaneswar and the Indian Fine Arts Festival in San Diego. She is currently a disciple of Smt. Niharika Mohanty and a senior ensemble member of Guru Shradha. She’s attended several advanced Odissi intensives with Odissi maestros like Guru Sujata Mohapatra, Guru Bijayini Satpathy, and Guru Ratikant Mohapatra. In addition to her training and performance career, Trina is a dedicated Guru Shradha assistant instructor, teaching students of all ages and levels. She believes in fostering a supportive and encouraging environment where students can discover their own connection to Odissi and maintain a disciplined, joyous self-practice.
Kalanidhi: Kuchipudi group
Dance Name: Ananda Tandavam (The Dance of Bliss)
‘Thandava’ is a sacred dance performed by the supreme Lord of dance Shiva as ‘Nataraja’. The dance symbolizes the cosmic principles of creation, preservation and destruction to compose the rhythm of life.
The song expresses the utmost devotion to Lord Shiva and the grandeur of his dancing. The dancer aims to invoke Lord Shiva himself, resulting in a piece that is intense, energetic, and a dance of pure joy.
Lyrics: Dr. C. Narayana Reddy
Composer: P. Sangeeta Rao
Choreographer: Dr. Vempati Chinnasatyam
Ragam: Ragamalika
Talam: Adi
Kalanidhi Dance Company Dancers Bios
Sriyuktha Ganipineni
Sriyu, a recent recruit into the Kalanidhi Dance Company, dedicated seven years to her training with Kalanidhi Dance. She has performed extensively at several prestigious events such as the Kennedy Center. Currently in her Junior year at Broad Run High School, Sriyu not only excels in her artistic pursuits but also contributes her skills to the school's tennis team.
Anjana Kuttamath
Anjana began her dance journey at the age of 5 in Bharatanatyam under her uncle Arun Kumar in Kerala. Later she pursued Kuchipudi in Hyderabad under Guru Pasumarthy Ramalinga Sastry Garu and continued with Dr. Himabindu Kanoj. Alongside her postgraduate studies in Interaction Design at George Washington University, she performs as a Kalanidhi Dance company member.
Mytreyi Nair
Mytreyi trained at Kalanidhi Dance for 12 years and joined the company in 2021. She attended the prestigious Governor School’s Summer Residential Program in 2022. She has performed at Kennedy Center, Cherry Blossom Festival, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Atlas Performing Arts Center, House of Sweden, and the World Dance Showcase. She is currently a Sophomore at George Mason University studying Cyber security.
Pragnya Thamire
Pragnya began her training at age five under Smt. Anuradha Nehru of Kalanidhi Dance. She made her company debut at age 12 and her solo-debut with live orchestra at 15. She has represented Kalanidhi Dance at festivals in the US and India. Since 2022, she has been the Assistant Artistic Director of Kalanidhi Dance.
Deviga Valiyil
Deviga trained under Smt. Anuradha Nehru at Kalanidhi Dance from age 10. She has been with the company since 2014, performing in productions like Lalla Roukh, Les Fêtes de I’Hymen et de I’Amour, Rasa Revisited, Why We Dance, and more. Outside dance, she works as a software engineer at Northrop Grumman and holds an MBA from University of Maryland.
Chitresh Das Dance Company: Kathak group
Dancers: Vanita Mundhra, Shruti Pai, Mayuka Sarukkai, Kritika Sharma Musicians: Utsav Lal, Nilan Chaudhuri, Charlotte Moraga
Invoking the River, an original work in kathak choreographed by Chitresh Das Dance Artistic Director Charlotte Moraga and composed and performed live by Raga Pianist Utsav Lal with Nilan Chaudhuri on tabla, explores the confluence of history, mythology, and the environmental changes of some of India’s most sacred waterways. Performed by the spectacular kathak dancers of Chitresh Das Dance, ‘Invoking the River’ recently completed a hugely successful three city tour to India with great acclaim. Invoking the River features stunning multimedia designed by filmmaker/visual artist Alka Raghuram. ‘Invoking the River’ opens with ‘Origins’, charting the rivers’ descent from the heavens to the earth and then follows the stories of the rivers Alaknanda, Ganga, Kaveri, and Godavari. The final piece is ‘Sangam’, where the rivers come together and invoke their sister Saraswati.
Priyadarsini Govind: Bharatanatyam solo
Priyadarsini Govind is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers in the world today. Trained by two stalwarts, Kalaimamani S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai and Padma Bhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, Priyadarsini has imbibed this art form from the best. With her natural aptitude for abhinaya coupled with her passion and dedication to her art, Priyadarsini has become a flag bearer of Smt. Kalanidhi’s padam repertoire and has been performing in prestigious venues all over India and the globe, taking Bharatanatyam to many major International and national Festivals as a soloist. She is also actively engaged in creating new repertoires for dance and teaching. She served as the Director of the Kalakshetra Foundation between August 5 th , 2013 and June 19th , 2017 and is the founder and director of NavaDarshana- an initiative that teaches dancers to view dance holistically.
Indo-American Arts Council
presents
Erasing Borders Dance Festival
September 21, 2025 | 6PM
Ailey Citigroup Theater
Experience the magic of dance at Day 2 of the Erasing Borders Dance Festival 2025, featuring the Marquee artists the legendary duo Rama Vaidyanathan & Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel. Be part of this unforgettable performance!
School: Odissi Dance Company/Guru: Aparupa Chatterjee/Odissi student group
Dr. Aparupa Chatterjee is the artistic director of the Odissi Dance Company, the leading Odissi organization in the United States practising Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra gharana.
A Texas A&M University PhD, she also curates every year the Kelucharan Guna Keertanam festival, presenting new choreography and collaborative works. She currently resides and teaches in New Jersey.
Odissi Dance Company has been featured on ’Dancing with the Stars’ ABC, and Aparupa has performed as an ambassador for Odissi in “Tarang”, winning LA Disney Film Festival’s best 3D Film. ODC has also been featured in quarter finals of America’s Got Talent and presented her choreography at the Carnegie Hall, NYC this year.
“The most successful and charmingly communicative number”- quoted by NY Times; “an outstanding Odissi performance of the evening”- quoted by The Statesman; “a digital exploration which accurately predicted its continuing success”- yet again by Stereoworld Newviews have been some noted critical acclaims!
Pranamya Suri: Kuchipudi solo
Pranamya is a disciple of Smt. Srilatha Suri, Sri Jai Kishore Mosalikanti, and Padma Shree Dr. Sobha Naidu. She has performed across major cities in the U.S. at festivals like the Geeva Arts Festival, San Pedro Dance Festival, Electric Lodge, Dallas Museum of Art, Drive East Festival and Nritya Parampara. Internationally, she has showcased at the Urli Festival (Belgium), Cambodian Living Arts, University of Taiwan, Krishna Temple (Amsterdam) and the High Commission of India (Fiji). Her lead roles include Parvati in Shiva Ganga, Krishna in Meera and Andal in Andal Kalyanam. In India, she performed at prestigious festivals such as Natyanjali (Chidambaram), Khajuraho and Konark. As the creative director of Natyanjali Kuchipudi Dance School, she shapes the next generation of dancers. Dr. Pranamya has received numerous accolades, including Natya Visharada and Sringara Mani. A physician specializing in interventional spine, she combines medicine and dance, pioneering Dance-Anatomy workshops. She is also the founder of Echoes of India, providing clean water to rural communities.
Rovaco Dance Company/Rohan Bhargava: Group contemporary
Rohan Bhargava, born and raised in New Delhi, India, began dancing at The Danceworx Academy for the Performing Arts. In 2012, he relocated to New York to pursue his BFA in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. Bhargava is the Artistic Director of Rovaco Dance Company which produces immersive events and dance-theater works at the intersection of queer identity and Indian culture. Bhargava has presented work and taught nationally in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Massachusetts, Vermont, Hawaii and Minnesota. He has received grants and commissions from Brooklyn Arts Council, New York State Council on the Arts, Sam Houston State University, The Dance Gallery Festival, Dance/NYC, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, Danse Mirage Foundation, and the CUNY Dance Initiative. In 2020, he was awarded the Jadin Wong Fellowship in Dance through Asian American Arts Alliance, and in 2021, he was named one of Dance Magazine’s ’25 to Watch.’
Preeti Vasudevan: Contemporary solo (Thresh Dance)
Preeti Vasudevan is an award-winning cultural storyteller and thought leader exploring individual identity and the critical role of arts in the expression of the individual’s story in a global society. A critically acclaimed choreographer, Preeti Vasudevan’s provocative and unconventional storytelling challenges the status quo of dance-theater, bridging ancient traditions with the contemporary world.
Preeti’s vibrant international career has brought her to the world’s stages as a performer, curator, and thought leader. Her works have been supported by prominent organizations like TED; Centre National de la Danse, Paris; Lincoln Center, NY, Guggenheim Works & Process, NY; The Joyce Foundation, NY to name a few.
Arts & Advocacy through cultural diplomacy is key to Preeti’s work. As an artist alumna of the US Department of State, she leads pioneering initiatives including innovative digital educational initiatives, encouraging self-expression, artistic risk and healing of trauma amongst youth in underserved regions of the world through cross-cultural creative exchange between artists and the community. Preeti collaborates with other creative leaders as Yo-Yo Ma, Guggenheim awardee Paul Kaiser and more recently with Dame Evelyn Glennie (work slated for premiere in 2026-27 premiere). Preeti currently serves on the New York Lincoln Center’s Artistic Committee advocating representation and diversity in the arts.
Preeti created her arts impact collaborative, Thresh, as a platform inviting multidisciplinary artistic collaborators and thought leaders to work towards a common voice on issues that impact our global society. Since its inception in 2005, Thresh has quickly garnered attention for challenging traditional approaches to creative solutions through the arts and fostering collaboration across a wide range of age groups.
Rama Vaidyanathan trio: Bharatanatyam
Rama Vaidyanathan is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of her generation. She trained intensively under the legendary dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy and the celebrated Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan. In a performance career spanning more than 40 years, Rama has developed her own individual style without forsaking the core principles of her dance form. Her technique is grounded, and yet there is a fresh approach to the innumerable dance compositions that she has added to the Bharatanatyam repertoire. Having performed at every major dance venue in the world, she has been awarded with the titles “Kalaimamani” by the Govt of Tamil Nadu and “Kalashree” by the Govt of Kerala. Other notable awards are the Kumar Gandharv Puraskar from the Madhya Pradesh Govt, Nadanamamani from Kartik Fine Arts Chennai, Vani kala Sudhakara from Tyagabrahma Gana sabha Chennai, Nritya Choodamani from Krishna Gana Sabha Chennai and the Nritya Kalanidhi from the Music Academy Madras. Rama is also the recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar. As the President of Ganesa Natyalaya New Delhi, she has been actively engaged in teaching for more than 25 years. Rama balances a hectic performance schedule while conducting workshops and master classes all over the world, inspiring a whole generation of dancers. ramavaidyanathan.com
Sannidhi Vaidyanathan learned Bharatanatyam from her grandmother Padma Bhushan Saroja Vaidyanathan and her mother Rama Vaidyanathan. Apart from traveling within India, Sannidhi has performed at various venues in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and Singapore.
Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel has undergone rigorous training at Ganesa Natyalaya under the able tutelage of her grandmother Guru Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan (Padmabhushan awardee) and her mother Guru Rama Vaidyanathan. She was awarded the CCRT scholarship by the Department of Culture Govt. of India in 2003 and then again in 2014, the Kalpana Chawala Award in the Young Achievers’ category in 2005, the NIRBHAYA PURASKAR by OYSS in 2015 and NATYA RATNA by Trinity Arts Chennai in 2015 for her contribution to Indian Classical Dance.
Shaktya
by
Rama Vaidyanathan with Vaidyanathan Baghel and Sannidhi Vaidyanathan
SHAKTYA features a mother with her two daughters, portraying women characters from mythology, history and contemporary times. Women who have inspired, have shown exemplary courage and have taken the difficult path to stand by their convictions. This work tells stories of many such women who have manifested the presence of the Goddess within them by speaking the unspoken and by treading the uncharted path.
SHAKTYA – A woman soft as morning light yet strong as ancient stone. She is the quiet might, unyielding all her own. Pondered why Durga’s form bears ten hands ? Each hand a sign – her skills transform, every duty she imparts.
MAI PAGHO – The untold story of the Sikh woman who bravely fought against Aurangzeb and fiercely protected her sacred faith.
JANABAI – The 13th century Warkari saint poet who rebelled against a misogynistic society to boldly express her love for Vitthala on her own terms.
MITRA – A true story of two ordinary women Phoola a Hindu and Gulabo a Muslim, set against the partition between India and Pakistan.
CREDITS
SHAKTYA by Rama Vaidyanathan Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel
CREDITS
1. SHAKTYA – Mridangam by Sannidhi Vaidyanathan, script my Meera Khanna
2. MAI PHAGO
Guidance and scholarship – Dr Arshiya Sethi
Lyrics in Punjabi – Shri Pritam Rupal
Lyrics in Hindi – Dr Himanshu Srivastava
Music composition and Vocal – Shri Onkar Singh
Jathis by Karakudi Sivakumar
Sarangi – Nasir Khan
Tabla – Nishit Gangani
Mridangam – Sannidhi Vaidyanathan
Special thanks to Smt. Ramanpreet Kaur and Dr. Gursharan Gill
3. JANABAI
Music composition and vocal – Karthik Hebbar
Mridangam – Sumod Sreedharan
Flutee and Morsin – Mahesh
Nattuvangam – Dr S Vasudevan
4. MITRA
Music composition and vocal – Sudha Raghuraman
Sanskrit script- Dr Divyanand Jha
Hindi script – Meera Khanna
Flute – G Raghuraman
Sitar – Lavanya Kumar
Tabla – Shambhunath Bhattacharya
Pakhawaj – Prafulla Mangaraj
Mridangam – Sannidhi Vaidyanathan
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 14, 2025
Press Contact: Michelle Tabnick, (646) 765-4773, michelle@michelletabnickpr.com
Indo-American Arts Council
presents
Erasing Borders Dance Festival
September 20-21, 2025
at Ailey Citigroup Theater
Photos are available for download at:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional Programming:
The New York Public Library will be leading a discussion with Priyadarshini on September 18 at 6pm in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Library for the Performing Arts. Priyadarsini Govind is an influential dancer in the world of Bharatanatyam. For the fourth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture presented by the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts, Govind who studied in depth the art of abhinaya from the master inheritor of the rajadasi tradition, Kalanidhi Narayanan, shares how human emotions are interpreted and transformed from everyday reality to stylized yet accessible aesthetic form.
Apart from this, on Monday September 22, from 11:40am – 1:00pm some of the artists will be participating in a panel talk with students at Barnard College under Uttara Coorlawala, senior curator EBDF and also Professor, Dance at the Barnard/Columbia College, room TBA.
About the Artists
Priyadarsini Govind is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers in the world today. Trained by two stalwarts, Kalaimamani S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai and Padma Bhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, Priyadarsini has imbibed this art form from the best. With her natural aptitude for abhinaya coupled with her passion and dedication to her art, Priyadarsini has become a flag bearer of Smt. Kalanidhi’s padam repertoire and has been performing in prestigious venues all over India and the globe, taking Bharatanatyam to many major International and national Festivals as a soloist. She is also actively engaged in creating new repertoires for dance and teaching. She served as the Director of the Kalakshetra Foundation between August 5 th , 2013 and June 19th , 2017 and is the founder and director of NavaDarshana- an initiative that teaches dancers to view dance holistically.
Rama Vaidyanathan is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of her generation. She trained intensively under the legendary dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy and the celebrated Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan. In a performance career spanning more than 40 years, Rama has developed her own individual style without forsaking the core principles of her dance form. Her technique is grounded, and yet there is a fresh approach to the innumerable dance compositions that she has added to the Bharatanatyam repertoire. Having performed at every major dance venue in the world, she has been awarded with the titles “Kalaimamani” by the Govt of Tamil Nadu and “Kalashree” by the Govt of Kerala. Other notable awards are the Kumar Gandharv Puraskar from the Madhya Pradesh Govt, Nadanamamani from Kartik Fine Arts Chennai, Vani kala Sudhakara from Tyagabrahma Gana sabha Chennai, Nritya Choodamani from Krishna Gana Sabha Chennai and the Nritya Kalanidhi from the Music Academy Madras. Rama is also the recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar. As the President of Ganesa Natyalaya New Delhi, she has been actively engaged in teaching for more than 25 years. Rama balances a hectic performance schedule while conducting workshops and master classes all over the world, inspiring a whole generation of dancers. ramavaidyanathan.com
Sannidhi Vaidyanathan learned Bharatanatyam from her grandmother Padma Bhushan Saroja Vaidyanathan and her mother Rama Vaidyanathan. Apart from traveling within India, Sannidhi has performed at various venues in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and Singapore.
Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel has undergone rigorous training at Ganesa Natyalaya under the able tutelage of her grandmother Guru Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan (Padmabhushan awardee) and her mother Guru Rama Vaidyanathan. She was awarded the CCRT scholarship by the Department of Culture Govt. of India in 2003 and then again in 2014, the Kalpana Chawala Award in the Young Achievers’ category in 2005, the NIRBHAYA PURASKAR by OYSS in 2015 and NATYA RATNA by Trinity Arts Chennai in 2015 for her contribution to Indian Classical Dance.
About the Indo-American Arts Council
The IAAC supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. For more information, visit iaac.us.
Photos
Event Poster
Curatorial Guidelines
We are only taking in applications via this form this year.
You can submit solos, duets, or larger groups.
Typically, each performer will be given 8-12 min. This includes any additional information or narration.
Your video is the most important part of your application. An impressive video can catch the eye of the curator and make your performance memorable. When submitting a video, make sure the video is well-lit and appropriately edited for maximum impact. Check out technical guidance. Below are some tips for editing your videos:
- The dancer should be clearly visible in the video.
- The video(s) you submit should be of the work that you propose to perform at the festival, and should submit a plan outlining exactly what you plan to perform. In case the video exceeds the timing, please indicate time markers in your application for the segments you are proposing.
- You may submit up to 2 additional alternative videos with your application. Each video should be 8-12 minutes long.The alternate videos could be examples of works similar to what you want to propose, or can supplement your application to show your craft and artistry.
- Dance works are often better appreciated when placed in context. We suggest that you include a commentary/explanation of your process in the Details of the Proposed Work section of your application.
- Live explanations (i.e. spoken commentaries on your video) will be counted as part of the timing of the total presentation, so you may prefer to send in a written explanation.
- The video you submit should include the complete continuous work you intend to perform, OR a work-in-progress with a detailed explanation. It is imperative for the curators to see and understand the entire work, because our decision making involves thinking through how all the selected works (by different artists) collectively form a unique, cohesive experience for our audience. An excerpt put together with bits and pieces from different parts of a work or different works WILL NOT BE ACCEPTABLE for the application.
Best of luck! We look forward to reviewing your applications.
Committee and Curators
Committee and Curators
Deepsikha Chatterjee
Deepsikha Chatterjee is a tenured faculty of Theatre at Hunter College CUNY where she enjoys teaching a diverse student body. She received her undergraduate degrees from University of Madras and National Institute of Fashion Technology before moving to the US for her MFA in Costume Design from Florida State University.Currently she is pursuing her PhD in Theatre and Performance from CUNY Graduate Center.Her costume design for Butoh Medea and Hide Your Fires received the Best Costume Design award at United Solo in 2014 and 2017 respectively. Her designs have been seen recently at Barnard College, Mabou Mines, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Women’s Project, New York Musical Festival, Drive East, United Solo, Pan Asia Repertory, and Capital Fringe.
She researches costumes and masks for Indian performance and has received notable grants for this work. Her presentations have been seen at conferences including USITT, Costume Society of America, and the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. She has published articles on Indian and Asian theatre, and Indian fashion. Since 2017 she has served as the dance director for Indo-American Arts Council’s Erasing Borders Dance Festival bringing international dancers to the New York stage.
Uttara Asha Coorlawala
Uttara Asha Coorlawala currently teaches in the dance program at Barnard College/Columbia University and serves as Curator for Erasing Borders–the annual Festival Of Indian Dance. Had previously also taught at Alvin-Ailey- Fordham University Dance Program, Long Island University’s C.W. Post Campus, and at Princeton University, NJ. Earlier as a dancer, her solo show, (1973-87) brought modern dance, BharataNatyam and yoga, to stages of India, Europe, East Europe, Japan and the United States. For her pioneering choreography she was recently awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi national award. (India) Uttara also served on various global dance research (CORD) and educational (IB) Committees, and as Performing Arts advisor to the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and at the National Center of Performing Arts, Mumbai.
Awards for writing include AHRB Fellowship for South Asian Dance Research, London, The Graduate Research Award from CORD, USA, the Homi Bhabha Fellowship, India, a Ford Foundation research project (USA) on changing demographies of cultures in the U.S. and an award to study choreography from the Asian Cultural Council.
Currently, she is even more invested in the ongoing global re-flows of body knowledges.
Sruthi Mohan
Sruthi Mohan is the Founder and Creative Director of Tat Tvam Asi, a boutique art organization in Austin, Texas, created specifically to curate and present works of internationally acclaimed Indian classical dancers touring the US.
An active and passionate community organizer, with more than a decade of organizational experience, she currently serves as the Cultural Committee Chair of the Austin Hindu Temple and has been instrumental in creating various cultural outreach initiatives that aim to showcase the spiritual beauty of Indian classical dance and other temple arts.
An accomplished and well trained classical dancer who started training at the age of three, she continues to perform to a diverse international audience. She also shares her passion for dance by writing about dance, appearing on radio and TV talk shows to promote and educate a wide and diverse audience about Indian Classical Dance.
Apart from being a dancer and a dance presenter she is also a Co curator for the Erasing Borders Dance Festival, New York.
Dipashreya Sur
Dipashreya Sur is a rising sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia University majoring in Mathematical Sciences and History and Theory of Architecture. She has been learning Kathak, an Indian Classical Dance form, in the Lucknow Gharana for more than 14 years. On campus she dances with Columbia Taal, an Indian Classical Fusion Dance team. Though Dance originally started off as an extracurricular activity introduced by her parents, overtime it became her passion. Over the years she has also explored dance styles ranging from Contemporary to Afro Cuban. She is honored to be a part of this year’s Erasing Borders Festival.
Jin Won
Jin Won praised by the NY Times as “an exuberant dancer whose musicality transform[s] her dancing into something primal,” dancer and percussionist who explores the sonic and visual possibilities of rhythm through dance and music, Jin Won is a one-of-a-kind artist in the field of Indian performing arts. An accomplished Kathak dancer and tabla player of South Korean origin, she spent over 15 years in India training in Indian classical percussion and dance under Pandit Divyang Vakil and Shrimati Shubha Desai, respectively. Currently, she is under the mentorship of Shrimati Durga Arya to enhance the artistry of kathak.
As artistic director of Pradhanica Dance and Music Company and full-time faculty at Taalim School of Indian Music, Jin has created, choreographed, and starred in various ensembles that have performed in esteemed venues across North America, as well as taught master classes and workshops in many institutes.
Preya Patel
Preya Patel as Artistic and Executive Director of Vivarta Arts Inc. based out of NYC, Preya Patel a is committed to bringing classical South Asian arts to the US mainstream. She conducts regular classes out of her studios in Queens and Long Island, and also enhances cultural awareness via Indian dance residencies and workshops at numerous NYC and Nassau County public schools and universities. Working with interdisciplinary organizations within the NY metro, she participates in a variety of community outreach programs towards her mission of global connectivity.
With over 25 years of training in Kathak under the guidance of Guru Smt. Jamuna Mitcham and completion of her Kathak Rang Pravesh, Preya undertakes further training from the world-renowned Kathak Guru Smt. Vaishali Trivedi, the disciple of Kathak legend Padma Vibhushan Smt. Kumudini Lakhia. She has graced the stages at prestigious events and venues in the US, UK, Canada and India.
Srinidhi Raghavan
Srinidhi Raghavan started learning Bharatanatyam nearly thirty years ago and has performed globally over the decades. Born into a family of dancers, she was exposed to Bharatanatyam early on and formally started learning the art from her mother and guru, Usha Raghavan, and from guru, Malathy Thothadri at the tender age of four. She had her arangetram in Chennai in 1998 and her experiences with dance have spanned several cultures and countries, including those of the UK, Switzerland, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Barbados, Canada, the US and of course India, during the prestigious December festivals in Chennai.
Known for her “precise nritta and apt abhinaya”, she is also recognized for her innovative choreographies and original works, which often explore contemporary themes via traditional Bharatanatyam pieces. Srinidhi’s wide and extended exposure has added an eclectic element to her delivery which, when combined with her traditional style, results in a unique reflection of elegance and experience.
Srinidhi is a graduate of Columbia University and The Wharton School. She lives and works in New York City and continues to produce and curate shows while also choreographing and performing in her own productions. She currently sits on the curatorial board of The Indo American Arts Council’s Erasing Borders Festival, and is also the co-curator of The Varnam Salon (NYC).
FAQs
What are the dates for the 2025 festival?
Weekend of September 20-21: In person in New York.
Why should you consider performing at this festival?
Erasing Borders Dance Festival is widely regarded as a reputed festival of Indian dance in North America. As an artist, performing in this festival gives you the opportunity to showcase your dance on a great platform and the festival receives significant media attention.
Do you pay the artists for the performance?
Yes. Artists are paid an artistic fee for presenting their work at the festival. Since we are a non-profit, our means for providing financial support to artists are limited. The fee amount is comparable to other New York arts non-profits.
Do you present both solo and group works?
Yes, we present solos as well as groups (duets, trios, quartets, or larger!)
Which video do we submit with the application? Do we need to shoot a special video to apply for the festival? Does the video need to be shot using a professional camera?
If you are applying to perform at the live festival:
You need to submit a video of the work that you intend to perform. You should submit 2 videos. 1) Submit videos of past choreography. 2) Submit your concept proposal in 100-150 words and send a video (as a work-in-progress). You do not need to submit a video shot using a professional camera – you can submit a video shot using your phone, so long as the quality of the video is good and your dance can be seen well.
Due Date
March 15, 2025
What are the acceptable formats for video submission?
You need to upload your work to YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, or Google Drive and include a link to that uploaded video with your application form. Please make sure that the video-sharing settings are set to anyone can view. If it is a longer piece (more than 8-12 minutes) please specify time segments for us to view.
I am trying to submit my application. But I get an error message that I have exceeded the character limit even when I am well within the word limit specified for that question?
The limits are specified in “characters” and not “words” (we understand this is less intuitive than a word limit might be). Please ensure that the number of characters in your answer fits within the maximum number of characters allowed for that answer. Further, remember that whitespace is also considered a character. An easy way to check your character count is by pasting your answer into a Word document, and using the ‘Word Count’ feature of Microsoft Word, which displays not just the number of words, but also the number of characters (including whitespaces).
I have submitted my application. How do I go and pay the $15 application fee?
Please pay the application fee using Paypal. This is the link to pay our fee: http://iaac.us/erasing-borders-dance-festival/dance.php.
I have submitted my application but am having difficulty paying my application fee. Who can help?
Please email IAAC IT team at sunil@iaac.us. They will be able to help you with the application fee.
I have submitted my application. When will I come to know if I was selected?
Selected artists should expect to hear back from us by May 4, 2025. If you have not heard by then, feel free to email sunil@iaac.us
For more Archive Events Click here