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New York’s premier Indian dance fest returns Sept 19
The festival aims to showcase Indian classical and contemporary dance while exploring mythology, identity, spirituality and social issues.
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Bhavana P - Fri, 14, Aug 2026
- 14:30 EDT
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Arushi Mudgal: Odissi trio / IAAC
The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) will present the 18th annual Erasing Borders Dance Festival on September 19 and 20, 2026, bringing together leading exponents of Indian classical and contemporary dance at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College in New York.
Widely regarded as New York’s premier Indian dance festival, the two-night event will showcase a diverse range of traditions, including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Kalaripayattu-inspired performance, alongside contemporary dance.
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The September 19 programme will feature Bharatanatyam artists Ganesh Vasudev and Nitya Narasimhan, Kuchipudi dancer Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govardhanan, Kathak artist Shila Mehta and her ensemble, contemporary choreographer Preeti Vasudevan, and Radhe Jaggi and Team in a presentation combining Bharatanatyam and Kalaripayattu.
The festival will continue on September 20 with performances by Kathak dancer Radha Varadan, Neena Prasad and musicians presenting Mohiniyattam, Aparna Sindhoor and Anil Natyaveda’s Sindhoor Natya, Navarasa group, and an Odissi presentation featuring Arushi Mudgal, Shalakha Rai and vocalist Sawani Mudgal.
Several of the works explore mythology, spirituality, identity and contemporary social questions. Govardhanan’s Soorpanakha, for instance, reimagines the Ramayana character through questions of gender, beauty, power and violence, while Mehta’s Nimitta examines destiny and gender identity through the story of Shikhandi.
As part of the festival’s additional programming, the fifth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture will be held on September 24 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Dancer Rama Vaidyanathan will deliver a lecture titled The Balanced Breath: Dance as a Journey Towards Inner Stillness and Equanimity.
Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased online here.
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