STAFF & BOARD

Meet Leela Dance Collective’s Staff and Board

STAFF

ARTISTIC DIRECTION

Rukhmani Mehta
rukhmani@leela.dance

Seibi Lee
seibi@leela.dance

Rachna Nivas
rachna@leela.dance

BOOKINGS & COMPANY MANAGEMENT

Carrie Jennings
carrie@leela.dance

PRESS & PUBLICITY

Mariclare Hulbert
mariclare.hulbert@gmail.com

MARKETING

Shreya Mehta
shreya@leela.dance

ADMINISTRATION

Lavina Mehta
lavina@leela.dance

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Sarah Morelli
sarah@leela.dance

Joanna Meinl
joanna@leela.dance

Poonam Narkar
poonam@leela.dance

Pallavi Salvi
pallavi@leela.dance

Shilpi Nikhil
shilpi@leela.dance

Katrina Yoshida
katrina@leela.dance

Seema Barua
seema@leela.dance

Ayanna Kanan
ayanna@leela.dance

Sasha Salvi
sasha@leela.dance

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Harkishan Vasa
President
Vasa Business Services
Tustin, CA

Nitin Shah, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology and Clinical Care
Loma Linda University Health

Dinesh Mehta
Vice President of Finance
Autoletic, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA

Dinker Shah
President
Dato Management
Los Angeles, CA

Swamy Venuturupalli
Clinical Chief, Division of Rheumatology
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA

Ronda Berkeley
Vice President Legal Clearance
CBS Television Studios
Los Angeles, CA

Anna Cross
Cultural Arts Manager
Grand Theatre Center for the Arts
Tracy, CA

It is with great sadness we share the news that on

It is with great sadness we share the news that on August 15, 2024, Julia Maxwell passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 81. Juliadi was a dancer, entrepreneur, and author. She was the first wife of Pandit Chitresh Das, and co-founded the Chitresh Das Dance Company in 1980 as the first ever American kathak dance company to become a nonprofit organization. She served as Executive Director and a principal dancer of the company, and it was under her direction that the Chitresh Das Dance Company became the first non-Western dance company to receive the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Company Grant. She spearheaded the making of the 1986 publication “Chitresh: Calcutta to California” and she helped establish the first University accredited kathak course in the US at SF State with Pandit Das.
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We were lucky enough to interview her for our series “The Making of The California Gharana,” which is available at the link in our bio (kathak.org/julia-maxwell) and is full of wonderful stories, photos, and video footage from our archives.
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We are eternally grateful for her generous contributions to this legacy, and send our most heartfelt condolences to her family and community.

We had such a wonderful time being a part of the f

We had such a wonderful time being a part of the first annual Color Your Mind Festival presented by @rootstock_arts and @ybgfestival! Thank you @tablajazz for putting on such an incredible event, and for all that you do to build community around the arts. This performance featured two fully improvised sets of music and dance with Leela Dance Collective dancer @carriejenningsmusic, violinist @lucianbalmer, and percussionist @jmelldrums.
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#indianclassicaldance #musicanddance #coloryourmindfestival #outdoormusicfestival #sanfranciscoperformingarts

Check out the season three finale of the @apap365

Check out the season three finale of the @apap365 podcast ARTS. WORK. LIFE. with excerpts featuring Leela’s @rukhmanimehta!

Tune in for stories about the power of community. You’ll hear how...

Former drama theater/theater director/teacher Anna Woods learns from her students 🎭

Onstage Vacaville President and Director Lisa Hilas remade her life

Opera singer/producer/arts administrator Ersian François realized that the seeds she planted long ago have suddenly bloomed 🌻

Leela Dance Collective co-artistic director/Indian classical dancer Rukhmani Mehta achieved a milestone for her community

Listen on your favorite podcast app or at the link in our bio 🔗

#podcast #performingarts #artsadmin #capitalism #workplace #dance #classicalmusic #opera #creative #producer #indiandance #worklifebalance

We are excited to be offering a kathak dance works

We are excited to be offering a kathak dance workshop at Festival of Tabla 2024!

Join in on an immersive 2-day experience of performances and workshops in Indian classical music, dance, and art. Tickets are still available!

FESTIVAL OF TABLA 2024 | July 27 & 28
📍Soka Performing Arts Center, Aliso Viejo

TICKETS 🎫: https://www.festivaloftabla.com/
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@festivaloftabla @sokapac
#festivaloftabla #tabla #kathak #indianclassicalmusic #indianmusic #indianclassicaldance

We are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful eve

We are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful event coming up this Saturday in San Francisco at Yerba Buena Gardens! (@ybgfestival)
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Mark your calendars on July 27th 2024 12pm - 5pm for Color Your Mind Festival! Celebrating contemporary South Asian heritage, art and music across borders! Featuring live music sets by North Indian sarod master Alam Khan, South Indian carnatic master Roopa Mahadevan and Indian Classical meets Jazz hybrid percussionist Sameer Gupta! Intermission sets by Leela Dance Collective and more!
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This outdoor family friendly event will have multiple tents featuring partners Hamesha Project, Henna Styles, Medicine for Nightmares, and a Gallery featuring select local Artists for 100% to artist sales. Don’t miss the Free event!
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#ColorYourMindFestival #livemusic
#indianclassical #indianclassicalmusic
#Festival #Free #sanfrancisco
#FamilyFriendly #bayarea
#WorldMusic #community #southasia #kathak
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@alamsarode @roopama @tablajazz @medicinefornightmares @hennastyles @hameshaproject
@ybgfestival @rootstock_arts @classicalrevolution

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Leela Dance Collective

23650 Community Street
Los Angeles, CA 91304
P: 323.457.4522
E: info@leela.dance

Bookings

Carrie Jennings, Company Manager

P: 775.560.2598
E: bookings@leela.dance

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