The Indo-American Arts Council will host the 18th annual Erasing Borders Dance Festival on September 19 and 20, 2026, showcasing a vibrant array of Indian dance performances in New York City.
The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) has announced the 18th annual Erasing Borders Dance Festival, set to take place on Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 6 p.m. The festival will be held at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College in New York City. Tickets for the two-night event start at $20 and are available for purchase online.
Recognized as New York’s premier festival of Indian dance, Erasing Borders brings together esteemed Indian classical masters alongside U.S.-based dancers. The festival will feature performances representing various dance forms, including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, and contemporary styles.
The opening night on Saturday, September 19, will commence with a Bharatanatyam duo performed by Ganesh Vasudev and Bay Area-based artist Nitya Narasimhan, who serves as the artistic director of Prayukti Arts. The evening will also showcase a Kuchipudi solo by Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govardhanan, a Kathak trio featuring Shila Mehta, Salonee Satagar, and Sanchita Dighe, a contemporary solo by U.S. Department of State Arts Ambassador Preeti Vasudevan, and a unique presentation that combines Bharatanatyam and Kalaripayattu by Radhe Jaggi and her team.
The festival will continue on Sunday, September 20, with a diverse lineup that includes a Kathak solo by Radha Varadan, a Mohiniyattam group performance led by Dr. Neena Prasad and her accompanying musicians, a Sindhoor Natya and Navarasa performance by Aparna Sindhoor and Anil Natyaveda, and an Odissi presentation by Arushi Mudgal and Sawani Mudgal.
This year’s festival celebrates both classical and contemporary mastery, featuring a roster of artists who are recognized both globally and within the South Asian diaspora in America.
Among the notable performers is Radhe Jaggi, a Kalakshetra-trained disciple of Smt. Leela Samson. Jaggi integrates classical dance with yoga practice and has performed extensively across India, Europe, and North America, including a U.S. tour in 2017 with the Spanda Dance Company for “Nadi – Of Love and Longing.”
Dr. Neena Prasad is another prominent figure, celebrated for her expertise in Mohiniyattam. She holds a doctorate and post-doctoral fellowship in dance from Kerala and is known for expanding the expressive horizons of this classical form.
Shila Mehta, with over four decades of experience in the Lucknow gharana, has researched Charani ballad singing and founded the Nupur Zankar Academy. She has performed widely across India, Europe, the UK, and the USA.
Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govardhanan, a Kuchipudi dancer and choreographer, has received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar and is also a professional psychologist who founded Avanthika Space for Dance.
Arushi Mudgal, an acclaimed Odissi dancer trained under Guru Madhavi Mudgal, gained recognition when her work “Mūrta–Amūrta” was named among The New York Times Top Ten Dances of 2018.
Ganesh Vasudev has been performing his own works for the last 15 years and has trained for over 30 years under the guidance of Bragha Bessel since 2009. Sawani Mudgal, a Hindustani classical vocalist, has performed at major U.S. venues, including the Kennedy Center and the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center.
Preeti Vasudevan, an award-winning choreographer and 2018 Arts Ambassador of the U.S. Department of State, founded the nonprofit Thresh in 2005 to bridge ancient traditions with global storytelling.
Nitya Narasimhan, based in California, leads Prayukti Arts, an organization dedicated to fostering community for Indian performing arts in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aparna Sindhoor and Anil Natyaveda, leaders of Sindhoor Natya – Navarasa, blend Mysore-style Bharatanatyam, Kalaripayattu, and theater. They will be joined by Bay Area-based Manipuri exponent Sanjib Bhattacharya, founder of Movements in Motion.
Radha Varadan, a U.S.-trained artist and finalist for the 2025 Pt. Birju Maharaj Yuva Puraskar, holds a Fulbright Nehru Award for her scholarship translating ballet into the Kathak vocabulary.
As part of the festival’s extended programming, the fifth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Lecture will take place on September 24, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Bruno Walter Auditorium inside the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. This lecture honors the late dance scholar and Padma Shri recipient, who frequently reviewed the festival. This year’s lecture will be presented by renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Rama Vaidyanathan, who will discuss “The Balanced Dance as a Journey Towards Inner Stillness and Equanimity.”
The festival is organized by the Indo-American Arts Council, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting, supporting, and building audiences for Indian performing, visual, and literary arts across the United States.
According to a press release, the festival promises to be an enriching experience for audiences and artists alike, celebrating the rich tapestry of Indian dance.