Shipra Mehrotra	Courtesy Asia Society

Johar is a choreographer and an exponent of Bharatanatyam, or classic Indian dance. He flew from New Delhi to kick-start “Erasing Borders.” In its third year, the festival is a joint venture between Asia Society and the Indo‐American Arts Council. From Friday to Sunday, performances, panels and workshops will be available, carefully curated so none of the eight events overlap.

“Indian dance has started to traverse borders,” said Rachel Cooper, director of Cultural Programs and Performing Arts for Asia Society. “This festival is exciting because it brings together the big view of Indian dance today in a New York context.”

To be included in the festival, each event and performer must be inspired by or directly related to Indian culture. Some performers hail from India, others are products of the country’s tradition, and even others simply admire the rhythm and form of the nation.

Concert I, which premieres tonight, presents Shipra Mehrotra, Navtej Johar, Parul Shah Dance Company, Cynthia Lee and Wanted Ashiqz. From Santa Monica, California to Houston to New York to New Delhi, the dancers will amalgamate classical, contemporary and pop culture styles of movement, taking the stage with very different intentions.

“We are trying to present a broad bevy of work,” said Prachi Dalal, Dance Director of Indo - American Arts Council as well as one of the four curators of the event. “We looked at the energies of each of the performances; we like to counterbalance those energies as far as group work versus solo work, and the gender and political issues that will be presented.”

Over 40 musicians, performers and panelists will participate in the festival, and Cooper expects upwards of 1,500 people to participate in the weekend’s events.

“This is a special audience in a special space,” said Johar, who will be performing a 20-minute iteration of his 80-minute piece. “I’m doing a traditional piece with a modern perspective, a piece that is growing with me, it’s a reference point.” A dancer for 30 years, Johar originally starting toying with his piece 10 years ago, when he fell in love with an 18th century song.

The event will also feature Alvin Ailey’s Ailey II, as they perform Takademe, a piece based on Indian rhythms. Tickets are $20 with the exception of tonight’s performance, which is sold-out.