Samudra Dance Creations was founded by experienced Bharatanatyam choreographer/dancer Jyotsna Vaidee. Samudra is a Sanskrit term literally meaning the "gathering together of waters.” As the name implies we enable collaborations among freelance/professional artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and create awareness around cultural/social issues. Samudra Dance Creations seeks to represent and empower the Indian community operating in a Diaspora environment and also seeks to engage mainstream. Samudra has presented at several prestigious festivals including San Francisco Arts Festival (SFIAF), the PushDance Fest and the Ragamala Music Society of Canada. Jyotsna Vaidee, the Artistic Director, advocates that the authentic technique of Bharatanatyam is a rich language that can be used to communicate and discover themes that are both traditional and contemporary. To that end Jyotsna has created a number of full length original choreographic productions including “The Earth Speaks” (premiered at the San Francisco International Festival May 25 2019), “The Caged Bird Sings” (2018), “The Quest Unsaid” (2013/2015) and Kaavyam: Poetry in Motion (2011). Her most recent production “The Earth Speaks” was nominated in 2019 for an Isadora Duncan Award.

Jyotsna Vaidee (Artistic Director/Dancer)
In addition to her group choreographic work, Jyotsna is a well-established Bharatanatyam soloist who has immersed herself in the art for over 25 years. Her performances have received critical acclaim in India and North America. She is a regular performer at India's (Chennai) December dance and music season and has performed full length solo concerts known as "Margam" at reputed festivals including Kartik Fine Arts, Brahma Gana Sabha, Ragamala Canada, Yuvabharathi San Jose and many others. She has received several awards including Best Performer Award from the Parthasarathy Sabha, the title Nritya Shiromani in India and the prestigious Indo-Shastri Fellowship from Canada. In December 2019 she received the title "Natya Ratna" from the Trinity Arts Festival in Chennai. Jyotsna has always sought out rigorous training to perfect her art and is a disciple of world renowned Gurus Prof. C.V Chandrasekhar (Padma Bhushan awardee, one of India’s highest civilian awards) and abhinaya exponent Smt. Bragha Bessell. A multi-faceted personality she holds a Masters in Computer Engineering and is a Product leader with Google. She finds that ultimately creativity is the driving force that helps her excel at both art & technology.