AKHIL JOONDEPH
Akhil Joondeph is a dancer and choreographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has trained extensively in Odissi, as well as jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, improvisation, Ghanaian dance, Bharatanatyam, and more, and his work lies at the intersections of these various disciplines, as well as the intersections of his cultural identities as a queer, multi-ethnic, second generation South Asian American dancer from California. In his work, he draws from themes and aesthetics of both South Asian dance forms and global dance practices, blurring the boundaries of genre while using the body as a storytelling instrument, capable of interrogating and questioning societal institutions, cultural constructs, and the self. His choreography has been featured in the Fresh Meat Festival, FACT/SF Summer Dance Festival, Mandala Makers Festival, and beyond. He has performed at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, SF Pride Main Stage, San Francisco International Arts Festival, and other festivals across the United States, Canada, and India. He is currently in the process of developing his upcoming full-length work "Manchapravesh" with Ishami Dance Company, which will be premiered in San Francisco in August 2025.