Soorya Foundation - NGIDF 2026 Schedule

Overview

Los Angeles Indian Dance Fest 2026 Youth Edition. Join us at the LA Youth Dance Fest — where young artists light up the stage with creativity and joy. Step in, shine bright, and celebrate the rhythm of our vibrant youth community.

WHO:
Raaga Mahesh disciple of GURU Viji Prakash (Bharathanatyam)
Ananya Joseph GURU Sushma Mohan (Bharathanatyam)
Meera Suresh disciple of GURU Navia Natarajan (Bharathanatyam)
Maanvi Dhadoti Guru Rukmani Mehta (Kathak )
Varnika Bhat Guru Rukmani Mehta (Kathak)

WHEN: Sunday 3:30 pm April 19th Taxco Theater 7242 Owensmouth Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91303 .

Event supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs City of Los Angeles

TICKETS: Entry by donation. Register here

SOORYA FOUNDATION FOR PERFORMING ARTS - MISSION

Soorya Foundation for performing arts, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles and Atlanta/Cumming GA was created to preserve, promote and protect Indian traditional performing arts through festivals, classes, productions, workshops, and master classes. Founded by Guru SUSHMA MOHAN - classical dancer, musician, choreographer and yoga practitioner

North GA Indian Dance Festival 2026 - Artists and Schedule

3pm Inauguration3.15 PERFORMANCE 1 Vocal music Soorya 3.20 PERFORMANCE 2 WELCOME DANCE Soorya Foundation students 3.40 PERFORMANCE 3 NRITYA SANKALPA Ensemble- GURU Savitha Viswanathan 4:10 PERFORMANCE 4 SRISHTI DANCE COMPANY 4.30 PERFORMANCE 5 SOLO - SANDHYA UDUPA 4.50 TEA BREAK 5:00 Ceremony to honor Soorya foundation 5:05 PERFORMANCE 7 FLAMENCO-BHARATHANTYAM 5:20 PERFORMANCE 8 BHARATANATYAM MANODHARMA- ATL DANCE TEACHERS 5.50 Certificate and awards to all dancers, volunteers and musicians/Group Pic

GURU SUSHMA MOHAN is the founder-Artistic director of Soorya Foundation for performing arts Los Angeles-Cumming GA and is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and teacher. She has received honors and awards from National Endowment for the arts, Georgia council for the arts, South Arts, California Arts council and Los Angeles city and county arts commissions for her productions and performances. She has more than 1500 performances to her credit at various dance festivals across the US and India

The theme of NORTH GEORGIA INDIAN DANCE FESTIVAL 2026 is “250 Years of Freedom: A Bharatanatyam Tribute” Indian classical heritage in dialogue with the American story—immigration, identity, democracy, resilience, and cultural fusion. The goal of the festival is to connect Indian classical dance with the American ideals of liberty, justice, and expression.
ARTISTS - NGIDF 2026

SOORYA FOUNDATION ENSEMBLE led by award winning Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and musician GURU SUSHMA MOHAN will present BHA-RA-THA-Natyam - a traditional south Indian Dance performance. This recital will give the audience an insight into the 2500-year-old temple dance of South India. We present Bharathanatyam (South Indian traditional dance) technique in a refreshing approach. Our presentations maintain the purity of the art form while at the same time expanding its horizon, to create an interest among the uninitiated audiences. Effective story telling & contemporary approach to traditional art have made our shows very popular. Our dance productions are unique in terms of presentation and content and admired by the press and public. Our bright colorful costumes, melodious music and a refreshing contemporary approach to traditional dance form appeals to audiences of all ages.

NRITYA SANKALPA DANCE ACADEMY follows the Kalakshetra Foundation and Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale curriculum. Founded by Guru Smt. Savitha Viswanathan, a graduate of Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai. Ever since her arangetram in the year 1981, Savitha has performed at various prestigious forums in India like the ICCR, Sahitya Kala Parishad, Mylapore Fine Arts Society, UK, USA, Singapore, Nepal, and Thailand. A skilled teacher, Savitha has over 25 years of teaching experience, 22 of them in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a graded artist of Doordarshan, India and was a panel member at the Fulton County Arts Council in Georgia. She has been imparting training in Bharatanatyam, summer camps for folk dances, workshops, seminars, and training programs based on the syllabus followed at Kalakshetra. Students of Nritya Sankalpa have won many prestigious awards.

MANODHARMA a spontaneous dance presentation by ATLANTA DANCE GURUS – Dance gurus of Atlanta and North GA will come together to present a spontaneous dance presentation. Gurus Soujanya Madhusudhan, Savita Viswanathan, Gayatri Seshadri, Suhasini Muthukrishna, Harini Santhanam and Sudakshina Mukherjee, each of whom is an accomplished dance teacher and performer with more than 2 decades of teaching and performing experience, will present a spontaneous presentation based on the compositions depicting Lord Rama. The group will be accompanied by Atlanta’s renowned singer Sripriya and will be conceptualized, curated and narrated by Sushma Mohan

SANDHYA UDUPA INDIA– Sandhya Udupa is a luminous force in Indian classical dance, celebrated for her mastery across Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Yakshagana, and Carnatic music. A performer of rare depth and clarity, she weaves tradition and contemporary sensibility into a language that feels both timeless and urgently present. As co-founder of the Udupa Foundation, she champions cultural education, artistic access, and community-centered programming, nurturing the next generation with the same rigor and grace that define her own practice. Her performances are marked by precision, emotional intelligence, and a quiet radiance—inviting audiences into a world where movement becomes philosophy, and storytelling becomes a shared act of devotion.

PERFORMANCES: Bharathanatyam performer and curator Sandhya Udupa is USA, South Africa, France, Poland, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda and Mauritius. AWARDS: Awarded with ‘Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award for the year 2022. She has been awarded with ‘Best Performer’ at the ‘Bharat Nritya Utsav 2023’

“LASYA Y DUENDE” A FLAMENCO–BHARATANATYAM COLLABORATION

Blending the Sanskrit lasya (grace) with the Flamenco spirit of duende, NGIDF 2026 presents a Flamenco–Bharatanatyam collaboration with a powerful, elemental energy: fire meeting earth, rhythm meeting geometry, duende meeting bhava. A fusion feels both ancient and electric.

PRESENTED BY SUSHMA MOHAN AND JULIA MOON

Julie Galle Baggenstoss, “Julie Moon”, is a Flamenco dancer working as a performer, teaching artist, and instructor of Flamenco arts. Fostering awareness about Flamenco – its origin and evolution, its many and varied interpretations, and the art form’s place in American culture – is part of the work taking place in Julie’s projects. With influences from both the East and the West, Flamenco holds many truths and lessons for people across the U.S.A. who find their own personal expressions in this art form

SOORYA MUSIC SCHOOL Young music students of Soorya Foundation will present an inaugural song seeking the blessings of the divine to begin their performance. Students have received training in Indian music at the Soorya music school

SRISHTI DANCE COMPANY refers primarily to the performance wing of ATL Adavu, a dedicated Bharatanatyam group focused on fostering, collaborating, and performing classical Indian dance. The company features experienced artists and focuses on blending tradition with fresh, collaborative creativity. Performers engage in spring and summer training, resulting in live and virtual productions. Srishti Dance Company, serves as a performance-based cohort for serious practitioners in the Atlanta area.

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Call or email to book an appointment: 818-7300371 or sooryafoundationla@gmail.com