Kathak Utsav

Date: December 7th, 2024

Location: Brasil Brasil Cultural Center
12453 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 

Leela Dance Collective is proud to announce Kathak Utsav featuring Apprentice Company members in performance of traditional kathak. This event with showcase dancers Ayanna Kannan, Seema Barua, and Sasha Salvi alongside special guest artists Rajib Karmaker (sitar) Chirag Dixit (sarangi), and Ravindra Deo (tabla).

Encounters With Beauty 
World Premiere

Date: April 19th, 2025

Location: Livermore Valley Arts

Encounters with Beauty takes its inspiration from the mystical poetry tradition of 16th-Century India. Kabir, Surdas, Meera – these poet saints ignited a movement of love and devotion that unified people across religion, caste, class, and ethnicity. A cross-genre work that brings this poetry to life through kathak dance, contemporary chamber music, and North Indian classical vocals and percussion, Encounters with Beauty creates a visceral and transcendent experience for audiences. 

Previous Performances

2024

Los Angeles, CA Performance & workshop at Women In Dance Conference ft. choreography by Rukhmani Mehta, Oct.  17-19th, 2024
San Jose, CA Performance at Tuti Gala, San Jose Civic, October 19th, 2024
Los Angeles, CA AAPI Heritage Month, pop-ups at Culver City Town Plaza, Venice Beach & 3rd St. Promenade, May 4-5th, 2024
Tempe, AZ Imagine India, educational programming at ASU Gammage, April 2nd, 2024
New York, NY Encounters With Beauty, Pentacle ASP showcase for APAP Conference at Ailey Citigroup Theater, January 13th, 2024

2023

Santa Monica, CA Encounters With Beauty, preview performance at The Edye at BroadStage, November 10th, 2023
Seattle, WA Excerpts of Encounters With Beauty, Hyphen+Asian Showcase at Western Arts Alliance, September 5th, 2023
Venice, CA Excerpts of Encounters With Beauty, open rehearsal at Electric Lodge, August 6th, 2023
Los Angeles, CA Excerpts of Encounters With Beauty, work-in-progress performance at Doheny Mansion, April 8th, 2023 
Vienna, VA Traditional kathak solo performance by Rachna Nivas at The Barns at Wolf Trap, February 25th, 2023

2022

Venice, CA Traditional kathak solo performance by Rukhmani Mehta at Electric Lodge, November 6th, 2022
Los Angeles, CA Traditional kathak solo performance by Rukhmani Mehta at Studio A Dance, November 5th, 2022
Denver, CO Artist residency for Encounters With Beauty at Newman Center for the Performing Arts, June 22-26th, 2022
Raleigh, NC SPEAK performance and educational residency at NC State LIVE, April 14th, 2022
Edmonton, Canada Traditional kathak solo performance by Seibi Lee at MacEwan University, April 8th, 2022
Los Angeles, CA Traditional kathak solo performance by Seibi Lee at UCLA Little Theater, April 3rd, 2022
San Francisco, CA Traditional kathak solo performance by Seibi Lee at the War Memorial Performing Arts Center, March 31st, 2022

2021

New York, NY Traditional kathak solo performance by Rachna Nivas at Dixon Place, October 21st & 23rd, 2021
Los Angeles, CA Resound: Kathak in the Streets at outdoor venues including Grand Park, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, Culver City Town Plaza, Pasadena’s Memorial Park, and Oak Park Amphitheater, September 23-26th, 2021
San Francisco, CA Resound: Kathak in the Streets premiere at outdoor venues including Union Square, Japantown Peace Plaza, UC Berkeley Sproul Plaza, and Lake Merritt, September 17-19th, 2021

2020

Page, MN SPEAK virtual performance and residency at Page Theater, May 1st, 2020
Waimea, HI SPEAK performance at Kahilu Theater Foundation, February 16th, 2020
Hilo, HI SPEAK performance and educational residency at University of Hawaii at Hilo, February 14th, 2020
Maui, HI SPEAK performance and educational residency at Maui Arts and Cultural Center, February 12th, 2020

2019

Tempe, AZ California Gharana at ASU Gammage, October 15th, 2019
Los Angeles, CA Son of the Wind at Ford Theaters, September 14th, 2019
Philadelphia, PA Son of the Wind at Kimmel Cultural Center, September 7th, 2019
Los Angeles, CA California Gharana at Ford Theaters, August 10th, 2019
Denver, CO Continuum at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, May 3rd, 2019
San Francisco, CA Continuum premiere at Z-Space, April 20-21st, 2019
Gurgaon, India SPEAK at Epicentre, February 24th, 2019
Kolkata, India SPEAK at GD Birla Sabhagar, February 21st, 2019
Mumbai, India SPEAK at Royal Opera House, February 20th, 2019
Mumbai, India Son of the Wind at Royal Opera House, January 19th, 2019

2018

San Francisco, CA Son of the Wind at ODC Theater, April 20th, 2018
Santa Monica, CA SPEAK at BroadStage, March 22nd, 2018
New York, NY APAP Showcase performance at Ailey Citigroup Theater, January 13th, 2018

2017

Irvine, CA California Gharana at Irvine Barclay Theatre, September 9th, 2017
Los Angeles, CA California Gharana at Aratani World Series, April 17th, 2017
Sonoma, CA Son of the Wind world premiere at Green Music Center, April 8th, 2017
San Francisco, CA SPEAK world premiere at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, March 24th, 2017