Leela Kan Llc

What Leela Kan Llc does

Leela Kan LLC operates as Leela Institute of Kathak, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 and structured around four operating units: Leela Academy (kathak education), Leela Dance Collective (touring professional company), Leela Foundation (endowment), and Leela Youth Dance Company. The organization preserves and advances the California Gharana pedagogy of kathak classical dance from North India as developed by Pandit Chitresh Das, with artistic leadership held by his direct disciples.

The Academy runs class instruction across four primary studio cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, New York) plus affiliate centers in Boston, Toronto, and India, and an online studio. The Dance Collective produces original full-length works, including SPEAK, and tours internationally, frequently collaborating with artists from other genres such as tap dance. The Foundation functions as the endowment vehicle for long-term sustainability, while the Youth Company develops the next pipeline of student performers.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue stack: per-term class tuition across physical and online studios (distributed, low-ticket), performance ticket sales and touring fees (project-based), individual donations (long tail), and institutional grants plus government arts funding (concentrated, lumpy). There are no disclosed unit economics, headcount figures, or audited revenue numbers, which limits quantitative triangulation.

Name

Leela Kan Llc

Legal name

Leela Institute of Kathak

Website

https://leela.dance

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leela Kan LLC operates as Leela Institute of Kathak, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit running a classical Indian dance academy, touring company, youth ensemble, and endowment across U.S. studios and India affiliates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education & Dance

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Dance Companies (711120)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI), Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI)

Keywords

• Kathak dance training
• Classical Indian dance
• Performing arts education
• Dance academy classes
• Cultural arts performance

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Dance Training and Class Fees: Leela Academy generates revenue through fees for kathak dance instruction across its studio locations. Programs span adult training, children and youth training, and pre-professional youth company.
2. Performance Revenue and Bookings: Leela Dance Collective operates as an internationally touring company generating revenue from performance engagements, venue bookings, and co-presenter arrangements at theaters and festivals.
3. Individual Patron Donations: Individual patrons and community members support the organization through charitable contributions. Leela Institute of Kathak operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
4. Institutional Grants and Government Funding: The organization receives funding from foundation and government partners including support for arts education programs and the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund in California.
5. Leela Foundation / Endowment: Leela Foundation is described as the first U.S.-based endowment for Indian classical dance and music, building financial infrastructure to sustain the organization's long-term operations and advance India's artistic traditions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Leela Institute of Kathak is a nonprofit performing arts organization that delivers kathak dance education through its Leela Academy (in-person studios across four U.S. cities plus online classes), produces and tours original dance productions through Leela Dance Collective, and sustains the tradition via the Leela Foundation endowment. Programs span adult training, youth training, a pre-professional Leela Youth Dance Company, school-based arts education, and touring performances at venues such as 92nd Street Y, YBCA, and the Royal Opera House Mumbai.

Product overview

Leela Kan LLC operates as a multi-faceted performing arts organization comprising three primary divisions: Leela Dance Collective (touring performance company), Leela Academy (educational institution), and Leela Foundation (endowment). The Leela Dance Collective presents productions including SPEAK (a kathak-tap collaboration) and Son of the Wind (dance drama). Leela Academy provides kathak instruction across four U.S. cities with affiliate centers in Boston, Toronto, and India, plus online programming. The Leela Foundation is the first U.S.-based endowment for Indian classical dance and music. Additional offerings include the Leela Youth Dance Company (pre-professional training) and Arts Education outreach programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leela Academy (Kathak Dance Training)

Quantifiable outcome

• Son of the Wind premiered at Green Center 2017, ODC Theatre 2018, Royal Opera House Mumbai 2019, Ford Theater Hollywood 2019 — demonstrating international venue prestige.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 92nd Street Y (92NY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner92nd Street Y is presenting SPEAK as part of its 2025-26 Harkness Mainstage Dance Series, Women Move the World. This marks the New York premiere of the kathak-tap collaboration co-created by Leela's co-artistic directors. SPEAK is scheduled for February 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM.
• Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAAM provided backing and guidance for the production of Upaj, a documentary on Pandit Chitresh Das and Jason Samuels Smith's India Jazz Suites collaboration. Executive Producer Rukhmani Mehta worked at CAAM as Development Director when the documentary was initiated. CAAM helped secure funding and production support.
• Chhandam Nritya BharaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeema Mehta's institution in Mumbai, India — one of India's leading kathak institutions with affiliate schools in North America. Affiliated with Chhandam and Leela's lineage under Pandit Das. Provides training, outreach programs, and performances in India, collaborating with Leela on international exchanges.
• New Light Foundation (Kolkata)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Urmi Basu, New Light Foundation operates a shelter for children of sex workers in Kolkata's Kalighat red light district. Pandit Das invested time training young women from the shelter in kathak, with some later receiving travel grants to perform internationally. Seema Mehta continues outreach programs through Chhandam Nritya Bharati.
• Broad Stage (The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage)Strategic or Co-development PartnerAnn Petersen, a founding member of the Broad Stage board, facilitated connections that led to presenting SPEAK at the venue. The Broad Stage had previously worked with Michelle Dorrance and was enthusiastic about the kathak-tap concept. Donor Ann Petersen was instrumental in championing the production.
• Music Center on Tour (Los Angeles County)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRukhmani Mehta developed an arts education performance program with the prestigious Music Center on Tour program that introduces school children across Los Angeles County to the artistic and cultural heritage of India.
• Alliance of California Traditional ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeibi Lee was recognized as a Master Artist by the Alliance of California Traditional Arts in 2016, acknowledging her contributions to traditional arts in California.
• Sureela (Leela Denver)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSureela, founded by Sarah Morelli in 2016, is Leela's Denver affiliate school offering kathak classes to the broader Front Range community. Operates with two weekly classes and connects Denver students with the broader kathak community through retreats and performances.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dance Theatre of Harlem: Touring ballet company with an affiliated school and community education programs. Comparable to Leela in operating a combined touring company + school + outreach model within a culturally specific dance tradition under a nonprofit structure.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Large U.S. dance institution with a world-touring company, The Ailey School, and extensive arts-in-education/outreach programming. Comparable to Leela as a vertically integrated dance nonprofit combining performance, instruction, and community engagement, though at much greater scale and broader genre.
• Mark Morris Dance Group: Major U.S. modern dance organization combining a touring company, a school, and community engagement programs. Comparable to Leela in combining performing and educational arms under a single nonprofit, though operating at substantially larger scale in a Western genre.
• Akram Khan Company: UK-based, internationally touring contemporary dance company rooted in South Asian (kathak and other) classical traditions. Compares to Leela as a larger, more established player combining rigorous classical lineage with cross-genre, large-venue productions and educational outreach.

Direct peers

• Battery Dance Company: New York-based nonprofit dance company that combines international touring, an in-house school, and a global arts-education outreach program. Comparable to Leela in scale and structure (touring company + academy + community/education programming) though in contemporary rather than classical Indian dance.
• Chhandam Nritya Bharati: Mumbai-based kathak institution led by Leela director Seema Mehta and affiliated with the same Pandit Das lineage. Operates training, outreach, and international exchange programming that overlaps directly with Leela's Academy and Collective activities.
• Chitresh Das Dance Company: The predecessor Bay Area kathak organization founded by Pandit Chitresh Das from which Leela's leaders graduated as principal dancers. Operates the same California Gharana pedagogy and historically toured with cross-genre works like India Jazz Suites, making it the closest lineage and product peer.

Regional players

• Nrityagram Dance Ensemble: India-based residential dance village and touring ensemble producing classical Indian dance (Odissi and Kathak) with full-time company structure, academy, and international tours. Closely mirrors Leela's combined Academy + touring company model, but operates primarily from India.

Others

• Asia Society: Major U.S. cultural institution presenting Asian performing arts, including Indian classical dance, alongside policy and education programming. Functions as a venue, presenter, and programmatic peer that books and contextualizes work like Leela's for mainstream audiences.
• Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival: National historic landmark dance festival and residency presenting diverse dance companies including South Asian and cross-genre work. Comparable to Leela as a presenting/residency ecosystem where companies like Leela Dance Collective develop and stage productions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/leeladanceco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsQB_1jlrOTTJeg8rD137LA
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeelaDanceCollective
• Instagraminstagram.com/leeladancecollective
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leela-dance-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leela Kan Llc