Grantee Database
NAVA DANCE THEATRE
Grant Year
2025-26
Grant Program
General Operating Support
Award Amount
$12,900.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, Nava Dance Theatre will create and present new works exploring identity, labor, and healing in South Asian and diasporic communities—ensuring all participating artists are fairly compensated.
Projects include:
– Tea with Demons (working title), an evening-length work about the demon archetypes we internalize
– Body of Work, honoring the strength of our bodies over decades of labor
– Free and subsidized public classes for all levels in SF, Fremont, and Berkeley
– Unrehearsed, virtual artist residency and performance series highlighting gender, race, and caste inequities (in person sharings)
– Varnam Salon, platform supporting emerging Bharatanatyam artists through mentorship/performance
– Dance Brunch, community dance workshops centering global-majority practices
– Elementary School programs: SFUSD (for example, ER Taylor Elementary 65% Asian, 84% low-income) and similar East Bay locations tbd.
Organization Summary
Nava Dance Theatre (NDT), led by Artistic Director Nadhi Thekkek, is a Bharatanatyam company using South Indian dance as a medium for reflection and discovery. We focus on two main programs: original dance works and our Unrehearsed: Artist Residency and Commissioning program. We also offer subsidized workshops, co-produce the Varnam Salon, and organize classes as part of our community engagement.
Highlights include residencies at CounterPulse and A.C.T., two commissions from Oakland Ballet, and support from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Our work has also been funded by the MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and more. Since 2013, we’ve performed nationally at venues such as La Mama (NYC), National Steinbeck Center, SF Ethnic Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, UC Davis Mondavi Center, and UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center.
NDT creates immersive, community-centered performances rooted in South Asian storytelling through Bharatanatyam and experimental movement. Our blend of dance, music, and narrative reflects the lived experiences of Indian and South Asian communities. Drawing from oral histories and interviews, we explore themes like migration, identity, and justice. Through responsible, culturally responsive storytelling, we center underrepresented voices and invite audiences to reflect, connect, and take pride in our shared histories.
Organization
Nava Dance Theatre
Address
80 Turk Street
San Francisco
94102
County
San Francisco
Region
Bay Area – San Francisco
Phone
(925) 457-1140
Congressional District
12th congressional district
State Assembly District
District 17
State Senate District
District 11
