Yogic Arts Conference 2026

Feb 8, 2026
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
In-Person and Online

University of North Carolina Charlotte
Cone Center, Lucas Room
Suggested Donation: $15/per person

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Presenters

Organizer
Yoga Researcher

  • Opening Talk by Organizer: What Are Yogic Arts? – A presentation by Sneha Rao on how music, dance, and visual arts connect with Yoga’s purpose and why this is crucial for today’s communities.

09:30 - 10:00 AM

Carnatic and Choral Music
Composer/Educator

10:00 - 10:30 AM

  • Keynote Address: Introduction to Yogic Arts and personal experience of Carnatic music as spiritual practice. Why is it important to recognize spirituality in Art?

Hindustani Music
Singer/Educator

  • Aditi Kane, along with the Indian Classical Arts Association of Charlotte, will explore the meditative dimensions of Hindustani classical music. Through live demonstration and guided participation, this interactive session introduces core elements—swar, alankār, rāg, bandish, ālāp, and tān—while inviting participants to experience how singing swar generates nāda (sound), taking the audience into a meditative state and devotional depth through rāg, tabla, bhajan, and tarānā.

10:30 - 11:00 AM

Carnatic Music
Singer/Educator

  • Carnatic Music: This presentation explores sacred geography in Carnatic music through live performance, tracing its roots in ancient Hindu scripture—particularly the Sama Veda—and its gradual evolution into a structured classical tradition shaped by visionary composers and scholars. Focusing on the works of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri, the session shows how a concert can unfold like a pilgrimage, with kṣetra kṛtis mapping temples, legends (sthala purāṇas), and sacred landscapes through sound.

11:00- 11:30 AM

Carnatic and Choral Music
Composer/Educator

  • Short Film: Colonial Interlude:

11:30 - 12:00 PM

Lunch Break

Indian Vegetarian Lunchbox available $15 per box, card only

Odissi Dance
Dancer/Educator

  • This presentation frames Odissi dance as a lived, non-dual practice grounded in Advaita Vedānta, where perception, presence, and relational knowing converge, allowing both dancer and audience to experience citta vṛtti nirodha through embodied stillness and awareness. Moving beyond representation, it argues that Odissi becomes a form of contemplative epistemology in which seeing, connecting, and communicating dissolve into a shared field of consciousness expressed through rasa, abhinaya, and embodied resonance.

01:30 - 2:00 PM

Kuchipudi Dance
Dancer/Educator

  • This lecture-demonstration presents Kuchipudi as a yogic discipline in which movement, breath, emotion, and consciousness converge, with a special focus on bhāva-based abhinaya—particularly sāttvika bhāva—as a pathway to inner transformation. Drawing on concepts from the Nāṭya Śāstra, the session shows how storytelling, rasa, and mindful stillness transform dance from performance into a meditative practice that unifies body, mind, and soul.

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Sattriya Dance
Dancer/ Educator

  • How Sattriya Dance is still practiced as rituals and spiritualism by the Vaishnavite Monks in Sattras (monasteries) of Assam. This has been practiced for last more than 550 yrs. Due to its preserved situation inside the Sattras, the colonialism did not affect much. Although the Male Monks used to perform but now with the changed world, this dance have transformed to a performing art and have been also practiced by female dancers.

2:30 - 3:00 PM

Snack Break

Bharatnatyam Dance
Dancer/ Educator

  • This presentation reframes Bharatanatyam as a disciplined yogic practice in which movement, breath, emotion, and awareness are refined through lifelong sādhana, revealing discipline as a pathway to presence rather than restriction. Focusing on abhinaya and mudrās through live demonstration and guided participation, the session shows how intentional movement shapes inner states, transforming Bharatanatyam into a moving meditation rooted in yogic philosophy.

3:30 - 4:00PM

Raas and Bhangara Dance
Dancer/ UNCC Student

  • Rishita will facilitate a panel discussion with UNCC students reflecting on insights gained from the conference and their visions for the future.

4:00 - 4:30 PM

Organizer
Yoga Researcher

  • Closing & Takeaways: Reflection, key learnings, and next steps for sustaining the momentum.

4:30 - 5:00 PM

Organizers