• By Mabel Pais

The Indo-American Arts Council (iaac.us) hosts and presents the Erasing Borders Dance Festival (EBDF) on Saturday, September 20, 2025 and Sunday, September 21, 2025 at 6pm at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 W 55th St, New York, NY. The dance performances will be preceded by a lecture at the New York Library for the Performing Arts. The performances will be succeeded by a panel discussion at Barnard College (more details below).
The Erasing Borders Dance Festival, New York’s premier Indian dance festival, in its seventeenth annual edition will include performances by eminent Bharatanatyam artists and several US based dance companies.

PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
DAY 1
WHAT: Fourth annual Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture
The New York Public Library (NYPL) will be leading a discussion with Priyadarshini (who studied in depth the art of abhinaya from the master inheritor of the rajadasi tradition, Kalanidhi Narayanan). She shares how human emotions are interpreted and transformed from everyday reality to stylized yet accessible aesthetic form.
WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2025 @ 6PM
WHERE: Bruno Walter Auditorium
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
DAY 2
WHAT: School: Nrithyanjali School
Guru: Ramya Ramnarayan/Bharatanatyam student group
Trina Sarkar: Odissi solo
Kalanidhi: Kuchipudi group
Chitresh Das Dance Company: Kathak group
Priyadarsini Govind: Bharatanatyam solo
WHEN: Saturday September 20, 2025; 6-8PM
WHERE: Ailey Citigroup Theater
Day 3
WHAT: School: Odissi Dance Company
Guru: Aparupa Chatterjee/Odissi student group
Pranamya Suri: Kuchipudi solo
Rovaco Dance Company / Rohan Bhargava: Group contemporary
Preeti Vasudevan: contemporary solo
Rama Vaidyanathan trio: Bharatanatyam
WHEN: Sunday, September 21, 2025; 6-8PM
WHERE: Ailey Citigroup Theater
Day 4
WHAT: Panel Talk – Senior Curator: EBDF & Professor: Dance at Barnard College, Uttara Coorlawala with students at Barnard College, Columbia University with some of the Artists
WHEN: Monday, September 22, 11:40AM – 1 PM
WHERE: Barnard College, Columbia University, Room TBATHE ARTISTS
PRIYADARSINI GOVIND is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers in the world today. Trained by two stalwarts, Kalaimamani S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai and Padma Bhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, Priyadarsini has imbibed this art form from the best. With her natural aptitude for abhinaya coupled with her passion and dedication to her art, Priyadarsini has become a flag bearer of Smt. Kalanidhi’s padam repertoire and has been performing in prestigious venues all over India and the globe, taking Bharatanatyam to many major International and national Festivals as a soloist.
She is also actively engaged in creating new repertoires for dance and teaching. She served as the Director of the Kalakshetra Foundation between August 5 th, 2013 and June 19th , 2017 and is the founder and director of NavaDarshana – an initiative that teaches dancers to view dance holistically.
RAMA VAIDYANATHAN is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of her generation. She trained intensively under the legendary dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy and the celebrated Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan. In a performance career spanning more than 40 years, Rama has developed her own individual style without forsaking the core principles of her dance form. Her technique is grounded, and yet there is a fresh approach to the innumerable dance compositions that she has added to the Bharatanatyam repertoire.
Having performed at every major dance venue in the world, she has been awarded with the titles “Kalaimamani” by the Govt of Tamil Nadu and “Kalashree” by the Govt of Kerala. Other notable awards are the Kumar Gandharv Puraskar from the Madhya Pradesh Government, Nadanamamani from Kartik Fine Arts Chennai, Vani kala Sudhakara from Tyagabrahma Gana sabha Chennai, Nritya Choodamani from Krishna Gana Sabha Chennai and the Nritya Kalanidhi from the Music Academy Madras. Rama is also the recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar.
As the President of Ganesa Natyalaya New Delhi, she has been actively engaged in teaching for more than 25 years. Rama balances a hectic performance schedule while conducting workshops and master classes all over the world, inspiring a whole generation of dancers. Learn more at ramavaidyanathan.com.
SANNIDHI VAIDYANATHAN learned Bharatanatyam from her grandmother Padma Bhushan Saroja Vaidyanathan and her mother Rama Vaidyanathan. Apart from traveling within India, Sannidhi has performed at various venues in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and Singapore.
DAKSHINA VAIDYANATHAN BAGHEL has undergone rigorous training at Ganesa Natyalaya under the able tutelage of her grandmother Guru Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan (Padmabhushan awardee) and her mother Guru Rama Vaidyanathan. She was awarded the CCRT (Centre for Cultural Resources and Training) scholarship by the Department of Culture Government of India in 2003 and then again in 2014, the Kalpana Chawla Award in the Young Achievers’ category in 2005, the Nirbhaya Puraskar by Oyss in 2015 and Natya Ratna by Trinity Arts Chennai in 2015 for her contribution to Indian Classical Dance.

TICKETS
Tickets to see one or all the performances can be purchased online at iaac.us/erasing-borders-dance-festival-2025.
Experience the magic of the Erasing Borders Dance Festival by reserving your tickets for this unforgettable two-night celebration.
The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC)
The IAAC supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk, and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. It works cooperatively with partners around the United States to broaden its collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Its focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform, and produce their work here. For more information, visit iaac.us.

Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Education, Business, Health and Wellness, and Cuisine.