University dance leagues are a great way to develop your classical Indian dance practice and gain performance experience. Explore some of the American leagues below.
University of Washington, Seattle
Penn State University
Dheem
Boston University
New York University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Southern California
University of Pennsylvania
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Berkeley
Harvard University
Columbia University
Rutgers University
University of Maryland
Boston University’s premier Indian classical dance team, Dheem has been established in the Boston area for more than a decade. Performing Bharatnatyam, Odissi, and Kathak, Dheem aims to preserve and celebrate its cultural heritage and raise awareness about relevant social justice issues.
Taal promotes awareness of South Asian dance, Indian culture, and the arts. Taal choreographs and dances over ten different styles of classical and modern dance, including Bharatanayam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohini Attam, modern, ballet, and more.
Deepam seeks to inspire enthusiasm for the vibrant, energetic, and graceful tradition of Indian classical dance on campus and in the greater Boston area.
Nasha is a South Asian fusion troupe based in New York University. To create its unique fustion dance form, Nasha combines a variety of eastern and western dance styles, including but not limited to Bharatanatyam, Kathak, ballet, and modern.
Natya welcomes dancers of all classical forms but has a strong Bharatanatyam influence. Natya’s goal as an organization is to keep the tradition alive by evoking the emotions of their audience via storytelling and moving performances.
RU Natya is the first and only classical dance team at Rutgers. The team has won first place trophies, performed in showcases, and been featured in NYT.
Natya at Berkeley is the premier Bharatanatyam team at UC Berkeley. Founded in Spring 2013, Natya at Berkeley aims to cultivate artistic talent and cultural awareness within the community.
Taara fuses the styles of Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Odissi to create unique new pieces that challenge the limitations of the classical arts and strive to convey meaningful messages.
Pushpanjali is dedicated to promoting and spreading awareness of all Indian classical dance forms in the community, seeking self- and community-improvement through education and training in classical dance forms.
UIUC Dheem is the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s first competitive Indian classical dance team, performing Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. UIUC Dheem has been growing as a dance team that strives to preserve the traditional heritage of Indian classical dance forms.
“As a team of dedicated dancers, we combine various genres of music with Indian classical dance to choreograph our own pieces, commenting on various themes and social justice issues. Utilizing the expertise and creativity of all our dancers, we aim to raise awareness of this unique art form through performances around the country.”
Michigan Sahāna strives to create a thriving and active Indian classical music and dance community at the University of Michigan.
Created in 2005, Thillana provides a space for people trained in or interested in classical dance to come together and learn from each other. A fusion dance team, we practice Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Kuchipudi with a modern twist in our messaging, storylines, and music.
Nritya Sangam represents a diverse array of schools and styles of Indian dance. Each member is an experienced dancer, carrying with them years of extensive training. We dance to keep up with an art form that we have cultivated and to preserve our age-old culture and traditions.
Natya’s mission has been to make Indian classical dance fun, exciting, and accessible to audience members by incorporating elements of the dance’s traditional styles, as well as contemporary Western culture.