Leela Dance Collective

Leela Dance Collective is an internationally touring dance company dedicated to advancing kathak — classical dance from North India — through traditional works, cross-genre collaborations, and deep community engagement. Based in Los Angeles, the Collective brings the full power and beauty of this ancient form to contemporary audiences across the country and around the world. Leela Dance Collective is led by co-artistic directors Rukhmani Mehta, Seibi Lee, and Rachna Nivas — senior disciples of legendary kathak master and guru Pandit Chitresh Das, and torch-bearers of his lineage and vision. Together, they bring decades of performance, teaching, and creative leadership to the Collective’s work, guided by a shared commitment to advancing kathak in its full depth and integrity.