Blank | The Sa Dance Company

Artistic Director

Payal Kadakia Pujji

Payal Kadakia’s artistic roots lie in traditional Indian folk dance. At the age of three she began training with lifelong Guru Smt. Usha Patel. In adulthood she trained in other Indian styles including bollywood with Pooja Narang and kathak with Bhairavi Kumar. Born and raised in America, Payal additionally trained in jazz, contemporary, and ballet with Cynthia Vallon. These dual cultural experiences shaped her choreographic style; pulling Indian movement out of Western technique and giving new meaning to contemporary South Asian dance.

Known for her creative and powerful choreography, Payal’s work has been featured at numerous events and festivals as well as in film and television productions. Highlights include: The inaugural Diwali Celebration at the White House; Lincoln Center, SummerStage; The Ailey Citigroup Theater, as well as performances for Disney, Delta, New York Fashion Week and more. Her work has also been published in a Bollywood Anthology called “Global Bollywood,” alongside legendary names such as Farah Khan. Payal’s commitment to, and passion for, raising awareness of Indian dance has cemented her status as a role model for dancers of all cultures. Through The Sa Dance Company, she aims to foster a deeper understanding of Indian American identity. Payal is the mother to a young boy and baby girl, and also the Founder of ClassPass, a company that grew out of her love for dance.

Company Dancers

Roshni Badlani

Roshni started dancing at the age of five with Nakul Dev Mahajan and fell in love with performing on stage. She later trained in bharatanatyam with Guru Viji Prakash. This beautiful art form taught her the element of storytelling and abhinaya-expression. Noteworthy performances include MARA at the Ford Theatre with the Shakti Dance Company, Wallis Annenberg Center, Diwali at The White House, and Diwali by Disney. Roshni joined Sa in 2018.

Rashi Birla

Rashi started dancing at the age of three and has trained in kathak with Pandit Chitresh Das, bollywood, jazz, tap, modern, ballet and hip-hop. She fell in love with the stage while dancing and acting in community theater throughout her youth. She was a principal dancer for blue13, known for its contemporary style inspired by Indian dance. Notable performances include the Ford Theater, The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage, The Wallis Annenberg Center of the Performing Arts, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, and the Peabody Essex Museum. Rashi is the mother to two young boys. She joined Sa in 2011, and has served as Associate Artistic Director in several Sa productions.

Radhika Mehta Kirpalani

Radhika started dancing at the age of six while training in Bharatanatyam at the S’rutilaya Institute of Fine Arts / Nalanda Dance Research Center in Mumbai. Since then, she has performed in prolific works across India, U.S. and UAE. She was the youngest principal assistant under Guillermo Riviera-Pagan, teaching Broadway, Ballroom and Latin dance styles in Boston, MA. Noteworthy performances include Alvin Ailey, Bryant Park Summer Festival, Monsoon Wedding Broadway Preview and Diwali at The White House. Radhika continues to expand her scope through Ballet and Contemporary dance training at Juilliard and Ailey Extension in NYC. Radhika is the mother of one daughter and joined Sa in 2014.

Nitya Srikishen Lakhi

Nitya’s dance journey began at the age of five when she started training in the Thanjavur style of Bharatanatyam in Huntsville, Alabama. At NYU, she expanded her dance repertoire to include Western styles such as contemporary, ballet, and hip hop. Noteworthy performances include The Ailey Citigroup Theater, APAP, Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, and Diwali by Disney. Nitya is the mother of one son and joined Sa in 2014.

Neha Pathmanaban

Neha started learning bharatanatyam at the age of five from Guru Renuka Srinivasan and later completed her arangetram. She is a recipient of the Young Arts National Merit Award in bharatanatyam. For many years, she danced and competed with Indian classical, bhangra & bollywood dance companies across the U.S. Neha has performed at venues including the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, Soldiers and Sailors memorial hall in Pittsburgh, and an NBA halftime show in Washington DC. Neha

has continued her dance education through salsa, ballet, contemporary, and kathak classes in NYC. She joined Sa in 2021 and performed with the company for the first time at the White House in 2022.

Bhavika Kapadia Patel

Bhavika’s love for dance began at the age of five when she started her formal training in bharatanatyam in India. After coming to the U.S., she continued her training with Smt. Sudha Shekhar of Kalanjali School of Dance. Bhavika has also trained in bollywood, salsa, bhangra, contemporary and hip-hop as
well as kathak with Smt. Rita Sharma of Rita Dance Academy. Noteworthy performances include Rubin Museum of Art, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, APAP, Bryant Park Summer Film Festival,

Diwali at the White House, the Wallis Center for Performing Arts, and Peabody Essex Museum. Bhavika is the mother of two girls and joined Sa in 2010.

Dhruti Patel

Dhruti began dancing at the age of five, training in bharatanatyam at Kruti Dance Academy, where she completed her arangetram. She is deepening her commitment to dance and performance by in salsa and other movement styles.
She enjoys exploring new dance forms, and her passion
for movement is complemented by a keen appreciation for rhythm and storytelling, which she continues to refine through performance and practice. Dhruti joined Sa in 2021.

Juhi Patel

Juhi started dancing at the age of seven. Growing up in India, she was enamored by traditional dance, which led to her training in garba, raas, and other folk styles. She started her training in bharatanatyam at Aangikam Dance Academy with Jasmine Shah. She also explored bollywood dance and continued her training in folk, leading her to perform at venues such as Boston’s TD Garden. She has choreographed and taught dance to aspiring youth in her community. She furthered her training in bharatanatyam with Nina Gulati at Triveni School of Dance and with Sunanda Narayan at Harvard University. She is now training in kalakshetra style of bharatanatyam with Sonali Skanda at Jiva Dance. Juhi joined Sa in 2021.

Kesar Patel

Kesar began her dance journey around the age of four in Gujarati folk dance. She has trained in the classical Indian style of kathak for 13 years. In 2018, she had the distinct honor of becoming a ganda bandhan shagird of her guru, Dr. Bhairavi Kumarji. She continues to deepen her kathak training with various gurus both in the US and India. Though born in the US, Kesar has kept close ties to her Indian roots and holds the folk dance traditions of her ancestral land in sacred regard. She is honored to have recently joined Sa in 2025.

Sharanya Mukhopadhyay Sekhri

Sharanya started dancing at the age of five. She trained in
the U.S. and India in the classical style of odissi under the guidance of many world-renowned Gurus such as Padmasri Smt. Aruna Mohanty and Smt. Nandita Behera. She is currently the director of Ishwara Dance Academy, an odissi dance school, and performs globally. She has also trained in styles such as contemporary, ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Notable awards and honors include the Princess Grace Award, J’nae Fincannon

Talent Award, L.A. Treasures Award, California Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Award, and performing at Diwali at The White House. Sharanya is the mother of two young girls and joined Sa in 2018.

Manisha Nair Sokka

Manisha has been dancing since the age of five. She trained in the Indian classical dance bharatanatyam under Guru Smt. Sudha Srinivasan. She also trained in garba, raas, other folk and bollywood styles and has experimented with ballet, jazz, and hip-hop. Manisha’s dance journey has always been complemented with a deep understanding of Indian classical music. She grew up learning carnatic vocals and the sitar. Noteworthy performances include The Parliament of World

Religions, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, Museum of Art and Design, Diwali at The White House, SummerStage in New York, New York Fashion Week, and Diwali by Disney. Manisha is the mother of two young girls and joined Sa in 2012.