For over four decades, proud daughter of Oaxaqueños, Maria Luisa Colmenarez has played a large role in ensuring Mexican folk dance remains accessible to the community while advocating for a larger presence in the performing arts space. She currently serves as the executive director of Danzantes Unidos de California, a…
Guru Vidushi Smt. Naina Shastri is the Artistic Director of Ushanjali School of Dance, a premier Tri Valley-East Bay based South Indian Classical Dance academy. Students are trained in the Mysuru style of Bharatanatya and taught both theoretical and practical aspects of this ancient art form. Students of Ushanjali have…
Surabhi Bharadwaj, Artistic Director of Siddhi Creative and Siddhi Dance Academy, is a seasoned Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher, and choreographer trained under eminent Gurus including – Guru K M Raman, Guru Radha Sridhar, Guru B Bhanumati, and Mavin Khoo. She learnt the Karana movements under Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and Guru Nirupama…
Evie Ladin is a percussive-dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter, banjo player and square-dance caller with a lifetime of experience in traditional American cultural arts and intercultural music/dance performance and education. Based in Oakland, CA, Evie grew up in a traditional folk scene on the East Coast of the US, and early…
An artist-ambassador from Bahia to the Bay Area
Antara Bhardwaj is one of the most dynamic kathak artists of this generation. She began her study of kathak (an Indian classical story-telling dance form) at the age of nine with legendary maestro Pandit Chitresh Das, and now runs her own dance ensemble and school, Antara Asthaayi Dance. Antara’s panache…
Gayatri Subramanian is the Founder/Artistic Director of KA Academy of Indian Music & Dance. She is a professional Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and instructor is one of the senior most disciples of Guru Smt. Padmini Radhakrishnan, the Founder-Director of the institute “Soundarya Natya Kalalaya Foundation”, Mumbai. She has undergone intensive training for over…
Ganesh Vasudeva is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer. Ganesh has created many works and presented his works in India, FRance, London and the United States. Ganesh believes dance is an all encompassing form that connects him to everyone & everything that has come in the past and yet to…
Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is an internationally acclaimed Kathak artist – performer, choreographer and instructor, and Founder & Artistic Director of Noorani Dance. As a performer, Farah is known for her evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy and grace, with two decades of training from the late Pandit…
Charya Burt is an acclaimed master dancer, choreographer, vocalist and teacher of Classical Cambodian Dance. After the Khmer Rouge genocide, Burt trained extensively with Cambodia’s foremost surviving dance masters, eventually joining the dance faculty of Cambodia’s Royal University of Fine Arts. As a member of Cambodia’s…
