Calendar
What Flows Between Us Festival
Rachna curates a first-of-its-kind festival of Indian classical arts taking place at 92nd Street Y's Harkness Dance Center 2025/26 Mainstage Series, Women Moves the World. Rachna’s vision for this festival is to gather extraordinary women from the worlds of North and South Indian classical music, dance, poetry, and percussion — artists deeply steeped in the integrity and discipline of their forms through lifelong devotion, while also thoughtfully engaging in bold, cross-genre collaborations. These collaborations reveal the artistic and cultural commonalities that flow across borders, while honoring the differences that make our diversity and plurality so rich, beautiful, and expansive.
SPEAK - New York Premiere
Leela Dance Collective announces the New York Premiere of SPEAK, taking place on February 21 at the 92nd Street Y, New York, as part of the What Flows Between Us Festival and the Women Move the World Harkness Mainstage Series. SPEAK is an evening of kathak dance, tap dance, and live North Indian classical music and American jazz music, conceived of and created by kathak virtuosos Rachna Nivas and Rukhmani Mehta, and starring Nivas, Mehta, and tap legends Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia. Developed over several years of dialogue and artistic exchange amongst these veteran kathak and tap artists, SPEAK was born of deep kinship, shared reverence for history and lineage, and a love of rhythm and improvisation.
‘Unedited’ at Stissing Center
Rachna performs her critically acclaimed tour-de-force solo performance, Unedited, at the The Stissing Center for Arts and Culture in Pine Plains, NY. An action packed performance, Unedited is simultaneously dance, music, poetry, and storytelling while engaging in the friendly call and response rivalry with live musicians.
Works and Process Residency
Rachna takes part in a residency with Works and Process to remount her 2017 critically acclaimed project, SPEAK, a cross-cultural collaboration of leading women in kathak and tap, co-created with Rukhmani Mehta, Michelle Dorrance, and Dormeshia and featuring live North Indian classical musicians and a jazz trio. This residency is in preparation for the New York Premiere of SPEAK on Feb 21, 2026 at 92nd Street Y as the headline performance of the What Flows Between Us Festival, a feature presentation of The Harkness Dance Center’s Women Moves the World mainstage series for the 2025/26 season.
We R Dancing Festival
Rachna Nivas is featured in Alokam's 3rd annual We R Dancing Festival.
Day 2: Saturday, Oct 5, 6pm
Leela Academy NY Summer Immersion Program
Rolling Applications Open Until May 31, 2024
Now in its 5th year, Rachna Nivas directs this popular immersion program in New York City in the unique and dynamic style of legendary kathak master and guru, Pandit Chitresh Das. Now offering two distinct summer training programs:
3-week Open Immersion Program
Open to all levels including beginners, students will delve deep into rigorous training in kathak technique, movement, taal, expression, and North Indian classical music, along with education in South Asian history, and special guest artist talks.
Wed, Aug 7th – Tue Aug 27th (weekdays) | 6:30pm-9:30pm
2-week Pre-Professional Program
An exclusive and rare opportunity to pursue immersive intermediate/advanced studies of kathak that focuses on developing high-level kathak technique, vocabulary, repertoire, rhythmic play, and knowledge of taal/music. Students with a minimum of five years prior kathak training/study are invited to apply.
Wed, Aug 14 – Tue, August 27th (weekdays) | 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Rachna Nivas at New York Kathak Festival
Rachna Nivas is a headliner artist at the 3-day New York Kathak Festival featuring kathak dancers and musicians from around the world in the heart of New York City.
Accompanied by live musical artists:
Jayanta Banerjee, sitar
Satyaprakash Mishra, tabla
TICKETS:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/concert-1-new-york-kathak-festival-2024-tickets-888305705277?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Govardhan Sangram: A Battle Between Ego and Devotion
Under the artistic direction of Rachna Nivas, Leela New York’s Training Center presents its 2024 student showcase. Govardhan Sangram, a dance drama, tells the story of Lord Krishna raising consciousness of love and devotion to nature, in sharp contrast to the arrogant Lord Indra, God of rain and thunder, who uses fear and egocentricity to gain devotees. Be transported to a world of wonder and intrigue through captivating dance, rhythms, storytelling and live music.
Artistic Direction by Rachna Nivas (and a special performance appearance)
Featuring live musical artists:
Kamal Sabri, sarangi
Mike Lukshis, tabla
Steve Gorn, bansuri
Tickets
https://www.viewcy.com/e/govardhan_sangram
Reclaiming the Divine Feminine
Renowned kathak artist Rachna Nivas’ latest work takes audiences into the dark and mystical realm of tantra, hailing independent feminine power as the universe’s primordial energy. Through classical Indian dance, live music, special lighting and prop design, Nivas embodies Kali - Goddess of Time and Death, personifying the paradoxes of feminine wholeness and illuminating a woman’s path to reclaiming her limitlessness.
Dispelling western myths of tantra and elevating ecofeminism, interconnectedness, and nonduality, this work promises to haunt, provoke, and enchant.
Live Musical artists:
Jayanta Banerjee, sitar
Satyaprakash Mishra, tabla & pakhawaj
Varshini Narayanan, bansuri flute
Dara Hankins, cello
Neha Tummala, vocals
Reclaiming the Divine Feminine
The world premiere of Rachna Nivas’ latest work takes audiences into the dark and mystical realm of tantra, hailing independent feminine power as the universe’s primordial energy. Through classical Indian dance, live music, special lighting and prop design, Nivas embodies Kali - Goddess of Time and Death, personifying the paradoxes of feminine wholeness and illuminating a woman’s path to reclaiming her limitlessness.
Dispelling western myths of tantra and elevating ecofeminism, interconnectedness, and nonduality, this work promises to haunt, provoke, and enchant.
Live Musical artists:
Jayanta Banerjee, sitar
Satyaprakash Mishra, tabla & pakhawaj
Varshini Narayanan, bansuri flute
Dara Hankins, cello
Neha Tummala, vocals
Verdon Fosse Legacy Professional Training Program
Rachna Nivas returns for a third year to teach Kathak dance at the Verdon Fosse Legacy Summer Training Program for aspiring broadway dancers training in the prestigious Fosse dance technique and choreography.
Reclaiming The Divine Feminine
Rachna Nivas’ newest work-in-progress personifies the dark and mystical realm of tantra and its radical hailing of supreme feminine power - an all-encompassing transcendent knowledge of non-duality that liberates only through full submersion into her wholeness. She is intoxicating and terrifying, ascetic and erotic, loving and rageful, beautiful and grotesque. She is the force that binds us and the force that sets us free.
Through kathak dance, live music, special lighting and set design, this work will haunt, provoke, and enchant while illuminating a woman’s treacherous path to transforming her shadows and reclaiming her wild limitless nature 🌿
Featuring live musical artists: Jayanta Banerjee, sitar / Jay Gandhi, bansuri flute / Satyraprakash Mishra, tabla / Jake Charkey, cello
Reclaiming The Divine Feminine
Rachna Nivas’ newest work-in-progress personifies the dark and mystical realm of tantra and its radical hailing of supreme feminine power - an all-encompassing transcendent knowledge of non-duality that liberates only through full submersion into her wholeness. She is intoxicating and terrifying, ascetic and erotic, loving and rageful, beautiful and grotesque. She is the force that binds us and the force that sets us free.
Through kathak dance, live music, special lighting and set design, this work will haunt, provoke, and enchant while illuminating a woman’s treacherous path to transforming her shadows and reclaiming her wild limitless nature 🌿
Featuring live musical artists: Jayanta Banerjee, sitar / Jay Gandhi, bansuri flute / Satyraprakash Mishra, tabla / Jake Charkey, cello