Leela Youth Dance Company is an elite pre-professional, audition-based training and performing group under the mentorship and artistic direction of Leela’s renowned senior artists and educators. The program champions excellence in kathak dance with students training rigorously 5 hours/week in addition to home practice. LYDC also serves as a platform for dance empowerment and youth leadership, where teens become advocates and rising young leaders and ambassadors for Indian artistic heritage. LYDC has performed nationally in numerous prestigious venues and festivals, including the WorldWideWomen’s Girl’s Festival, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Youth Festival, San Francisco Symphony Hall alongside students of the San Francisco Ballet, International.

Leela Youth Dance Company is a global initiative with chapters of the company in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Denver.  Faculty for this program include the following:

Rachna Nivas – Artistic Director
Rina Mehta – Artistic Director
Ahana Mukherjee – Assistant Director
Seibi Lee – Senior Faculty
Sarah Morelli – Senior Faculty
Carrie McCune – Faculty

Denver

Sakshi Gadgil
Sanya Mohanty
Aarna Dhawan
Nisha Nikhil