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Lata Pada Academy Director & Principal Instructor

Lata has a notable career in performance, choreography, teaching and arts leadership in Canada for over twenty-eight years. Lata trained India's distinguished teachers – Kalaimamani K. Kalyanasundaram and the late Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan. She has had an extensive, international career as a bharatanatyam soloist and has created a stunning range of solos, ensemble works and multi-disciplinary productions.
Lata Pada's outstanding contribution to the South Asian performing arts in Canada has been recognized by her appointment to the Order of Canada in 2009 making her the first South Asian artist in Canada to be recognized by this national honour. In 2011, India recognized Lata Pada with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman- a prestigious honour awarded by the President of India. In June 2012, Lata was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal and honoured with the Legend's Row Award in 2013.
Lata holds an MFA in Dance from York University (1996) and currently serves as Adjunct Professor in the Master's Program of York University. Lata has received several training grants including the Canada Council Professional training Grant, the Ontario Arts Council's Chalmers Senior Fellowship and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship. She has also taken workshops in several dance movement disciplines such as kallari, chau, Balinese dance, butoh and contact improvisation. Lata is recognized for her active participation in arts advocacy and for her serving on boards and committees of several arts organizations such as a founding member of the South Asian Advisory committee at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Living Arts Centre, Canadian Dance Assembly, York University's Fine Arts, Centennial College's Cultural Heritage Institute and CPAMO – Cultural Pluralism in the Performing Arts Movement Ontario. She is the founding advisory committee member of the South Asian Dance Alliance of Canada (SADAC).

Aarti Joseph Assistant Artistic Director & Instructor

Aarti Joseph began training in bharatanatyam under Lata Pada in 1998 and has since become a valued teacher and member of the Sampradaya Dance Academy family.  Ms. Joseph is also a company member at Sampradaya Dance Creations. Her credits with the company include SARUPYAM, Vivarta: Manifestations of Vishnu, and HOWZAAT! (England and India tour).  She has had the privilege of working with renowned artists including Mavin Khoo, Natasha Bakht, and Guru Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram.

In 2010, Ms. Joseph had the opportunity to perform in a site-specific piece created by Natasha Bakht – Dafeena (nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding New Choreography).  Ms. Joseph was also invited to perform as a guest artist in Lokashemam, a dance production choreographed by Guru Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram, in Mumbai, India (2008).

Not only is Ms. Joseph a gifted teacher at Sampradaya Dance Academy, but she also holds an Honours B.Sc. in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Toronto.