16th American Natya Festival and American Natya Idol Competition Returns In June

Soorya Performing Arts will present the 16th American Natya Festival, June 13th-15th at Clayton High School Auditorium (#1 Mark Twain Circle, Saint Louis, MO 63105). This three-day festival presents professional performing artists from across the United States and India, featuring beautiful Indian classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam and Kathak infused with Contemporary and Hip-Hop. In addition to the dance presentations, the Festival includes the Grand Finals of the All-American dance competition American Natya Idol. 

Professional dancers to be featured include:

• St. Louis' famous dance team – Soorya Dance Company - will be featured with their presentation of “Swami Ayyappa”, a dance production that takes you along the mythological stories of a Hindu deity representing truth and righteousness, and is worshiped in Southern India. Guru Prasanna Kasthuri, the Artistic Director of Soorya Performing Arts, choreographed this production and was recently awarded one of the top-level awards “Karnataka Kalashri” in the state of Karnataka in 2024 for his tireless service to classical dance outside the country of India.

• Another local emerging choreographer - Samanvita Kasthuri - will take the traditional bases of Bharatanatyam and Kathak and fuse them in Contemporary and Hip-Hop Dance to create a presentation that weaves between the past and present in an exciting result of new and innovative movement.

• India's Rudrakshya Foundation - established by Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain
• Guru Sreedhara Akkihebbalu, the first male dancer from the state of Karnataka to have achieved the distinction of

a Top-A-Grade Soloist for Television, by Prasar Bharati (National Television channel of India) - will present a thematic presentation on a Sanskrit poet and philosopher, Bhartruhari.

• Other companies from across the US include:
  • Tampa, Florida's Rudram Dance Company, spearheaded by Guru Tara Priya Bikkasani 
  • Texas' Dr. Sreedhara R. Akkihebbalu
  • Austin, Texas' Sumangala V. Varun
  • Montgomery, AL's Sudha Raghuram
  • Seattle area's Anu Samrat
• Additional St. Louis based dancers and groups TBD

This is just a glimpse of the myriad of performances presented in this year's festival, ranging from traditional, spiritual, philosophical, and contemporary ideas. All of these artists are an exemplary inspiration for continuing to educate the youth about these dance forms through work that exemplifies a variety of themes in which the Indian classical dance forms take on fusion presentations. We hope to educate and expose the rich culture that the Indian community has to offer to the greater St. Louis region through the presentation of these immersive productions.

The festival will conclude with an All-American dance competition final “American Natya Idol”. Over 200 dancers have been competing in 16 cities across the country culminating in the finals happening in the gateway city of St. Louis. This event has attracted unprecedented attention of classical dancers in the USA.

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