Rachna Nivas

🪔 About

Rachna Nivas is a prominent Kathak artist, choreographer, educator, and activist based in the United States, recognized for her commanding presence, rhythmic precision, and storytelling. She is a distinguished torchbearer of legendary Kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das’s treasured lineage, having trained under his mentorship for over two decades and rising to become a principal dancer in his acclaimed company. Nivas is a co-founder and artistic director of the Leela Dance Collective, an ensemble dedicated to advancing Kathak through large-scale productions and cross-genre collaborations. She is known for her collaborative work "SPEAK," which bridges Indian Kathak and American tap dance, co-created with Rukhmani Mehta, Michelle Dorrance, and Dormeshia. She is also a co-creator of the large-scale dance ballad "Son of the Wind," a Kathak dance drama based on the Ramayana, featuring a cast of female Kathak dancers. As an educator, Nivas has played a significant role in shaping Kathak education in the United States. She was appointed by Pandit Chitresh Das to direct the Chhandam School of Kathak in the San Francisco Bay Area for a decade, helping to build it into one of the largest Indian classical dance institutions outside of India. She later co-founded and led Leela Academy (2016–2025) and currently directs The Kathak Legacy Project in New York City, which provides in-depth Kathak education rooted in her guru's teachings. Her work often interrogates Eurocentric and patriarchal paradigms through the lens of feminine consciousness and ancient Eastern philosophies. Awards & Honours: Artist-in-Residence (2024), Works & Process residency (2025), Dance Research Fellowship (2022), CUNY Dance Initiative Residency (2023), Isadora Duncan Dance Award Nomination, Alliance for Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant, Zellerbach Family Foundation Community Arts grant.