Shoes of Migration: Cumbia, Ballet, Salsa, and Odissi
New York City, New York | Dance
Music, Experimental
Whether on pointe shoes, heels, or without shoes, we dance to encounter one another in a cultural exchange that transforms us. Sitar and percussion accompany our journeys in motion, while an authentic personal truth emerges across the borders of Colombia, Venezuela, India, Brazil, and the USA.
Shoes of Migration: Cumbia, Ballet, Salsa, and Odissi
New York City, New York | Dance
Music, Experimental
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
47 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$4,148
Goal: $4,925 for development
Whether on pointe shoes, heels, or without shoes, we dance to encounter one another in a cultural exchange that transforms us. Sitar and percussion accompany our journeys in motion, while an authentic personal truth emerges across the borders of Colombia, Venezuela, India, Brazil, and the USA.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"This performance, set to premiere on November 23, 2026, 8PM EST at Arts on Site in Manhattan, New York, is a statement of crossing cultural boundaries with curiosity, respect, and admiration. The dancers and musicians on this stage create harmony between cultures and disciplines: we share one creative force expressed through choreography and composition. Cumbia, Ballet, Odissi, and Salsa converge as one in New York, the city where we, Elisa, Jeevika, Galen, Leonel, and Thiago met each other and joined our artistic endeavors.
Whether wearing pointe shoes, heels, alpargatas, or dancing barefoot, these shoes symbolize our cultural backgrounds and lived experiences that we portray in movement. We perform in an exchange of artistic truths that transforms us. Our pathways unfold across frontiers, revealing authentic languages that connect Colombia, Venezuela, India, Brazil, and the United States.
Work in Progress: Where We Come From
The performance opens with an autobiographical scene of my beginnings in Colombia, learning traditional songs of folklore and the Cumbia, which integrates African, Indigenous, and Spanish roots. Then, the program continues with reflections of the migration process that brings Leonel and I to a crossroads. To migrate is to encounter, exchange, and transmute in a cultural opening. Leonel shares his origins in Venezuela through the traditional joropo, before he meets me in the sphere of ballet for an evocation of Swan Lake with sitar accompaniment. Both musicians are themselves beacons of cross-culturalism: Galen is an American sitarist and composer who lived in India while he studied Hindustani music, and Thiago is rooted in Afro-Brazilian traditions while embracing contemporary experimental practices.
As parallel stories unfold in life, people start at different points of origin and then meet each other under unique circumstances, becoming part of each other's reality. Leonel and I develop an artistic partnership that goes beyond ballet and embraces salsa as a cultural common ground for us both, accompanied by Thiago in percussion and Galen in sitar. Salsa is an anchor of much of Latin American history in New York, where this musical genre was developed in the 1970's, thus it becomes an offering that invites Jeevika to learn salsa while she shares, in turn, some of her captivating journey in Odissi, from India.
Grand Finale
Jeevika comes from the roots of Odissi yet expands into contemporary vocabularies to embody the concept of Mokshya: enlightenment, the peak of devotion, where the dancer and the dance become one, as they offer themselves in complete surrender to the divine. Accompanied by sitar and percussion, a final dance dialogue between Odissi and Salsa takes place between Jeevika, Leonel, and myself, staging a microcosm of a societal ideal: peace and mutuality between diverse cultures. Beyond the expectations of each culture, there is more of one’s true nature to be discovered across the border."
- Elisa Toro Franky, Director.
How We Would Use Your Contributions
No amount is too small to help us reach our financial goal to produce this performance! We thank you for being with us and we hope you will join us the day of the performance, November 23, 2026.
Stretch Goals
- If we raise additional $3,750, we can produce a second performance at Arts On Site.
Ticket Link
https://www.artsonsite.org/events-1/shoes-of-migration-cumbia-ballet-salsa-and-odissi
Photographer's Instagram handle: @mellodramaticmedia
Elisa Toro Franky
www.elisatorofranky.com
IG: @elisa.toro.franky
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Jeevika's fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Jeevika's participation in the project is essential for the Odissi component of the project.
Galen's fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Galen's participation as a sitarist is essential to bring live hindustani music to the performance.
Leonel's fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Leonel is a unique contribution to our team as an exponent of Venezuelan culture.
Thiago's Fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Thiago contributes a diversity of musical rhythms of Afro-Brazilian origin.
Elisa's Management and Rehearsal Expenses
Costs $400
Elisa's participation as a director, choreographer and performer, requires several hours of unpaid work for management and rehearsal.
Studio Rental for Performance
Costs $675
Studio 3R will be the performing space in Arts On Site, in Manhattan. We will rent it for 5 hours on 11/23/26 (5pm-10pm).
Studio Rental for Holding Room
Costs $75
Studio 3F will be the holding room for the performers in Arts On Site, in Manhattan. We will rent it for 3 hours on 11/23/26 (7pm-10pm).
Rehearsal Studio Rental
Costs $600
20 hours of rehearsal studio rental at Gibney Dance, Ripley Grier, and other studio venues ( $30 per hour, 2-hour rehearsals).
Photography for Marketing Materials
Costs $375
Professional photography and marketing is important to visualize the concept of the project and attract backers.
Videography During Perfromance
Costs $250
Professional videography is important to retain material for all the artists involved, fo future performances and participation in festivals
Photography During Performance
Costs $430
Professional photography during performance is important for all the artists' portfolio and participation in future projects and festivals.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Elisa Toro Franky is a New York-based professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, and bilingual voice actress whose work bridges ballet, tango, salsa, and Middle Eastern styles. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, she trained at Miami City Ballet School and has performed with FJK Dance, Accent Dance NYC, Westchester Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Washington Ballet Studio Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, and other leading companies. As a former Program Director of Accent Dance NYC, Elisa continues to perform, create, and educate through dance and multidisciplinary performance.
Jeevika Bhat is a dancer and choreographer exploring the confluence of her cultures through a Contemporary/Indian-American lens. Trained in Odissi under Guru Jyoti Rout, she draws on the form’s nuanced storytelling and graceful fluidity. She holds a BS in Mathematics with minors in Linguistics and Dance from UC San Diego and an MFA in Dance from UC Irvine.
Thiago Trad is a Brazilian percussionist, composer, researcher, and educator whose work bridges Afro-Brazilian traditions, contemporary experimentation, music, and movement. His practice explores rhythm, improvisation, and deep listening, creating collaborative musical landscapes that foster dialogue and connection between dancers, musicians, and audiences.
Leonel Linares is a Venezuelan dancer, choreographer, teacher, and director based in New York. A certified Vaganova technique teacher from the Bolshoi Academy of Moscow, he has performed with leading contemporary and ballet companies and alongside major Latin music artists. He is a co-founder of La Casa de la Cultura Venezolana in NY and has received multiple awards for his choreography, including first place at New York’s Hispanic Folkloric Dance Contest in 2019 and 2020.
Galen Passen is a Brooklyn-based sitarist, composer, and visual artist whose interdisciplinary work draws on his deep engagement with Hindustani classical music and diverse cultural traditions. After studying in New Delhi from 2009–2017, he developed a multicultural artistic practice spanning music, dance, experimental composition, and multimedia works, collaborating with artists and organizations across the United States and internationally.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"This performance, set to premiere on November 23, 2026, 8PM EST at Arts on Site in Manhattan, New York, is a statement of crossing cultural boundaries with curiosity, respect, and admiration. The dancers and musicians on this stage create harmony between cultures and disciplines: we share one creative force expressed through choreography and composition. Cumbia, Ballet, Odissi, and Salsa converge as one in New York, the city where we, Elisa, Jeevika, Galen, Leonel, and Thiago met each other and joined our artistic endeavors.
Whether wearing pointe shoes, heels, alpargatas, or dancing barefoot, these shoes symbolize our cultural backgrounds and lived experiences that we portray in movement. We perform in an exchange of artistic truths that transforms us. Our pathways unfold across frontiers, revealing authentic languages that connect Colombia, Venezuela, India, Brazil, and the United States.
Work in Progress: Where We Come From
The performance opens with an autobiographical scene of my beginnings in Colombia, learning traditional songs of folklore and the Cumbia, which integrates African, Indigenous, and Spanish roots. Then, the program continues with reflections of the migration process that brings Leonel and I to a crossroads. To migrate is to encounter, exchange, and transmute in a cultural opening. Leonel shares his origins in Venezuela through the traditional joropo, before he meets me in the sphere of ballet for an evocation of Swan Lake with sitar accompaniment. Both musicians are themselves beacons of cross-culturalism: Galen is an American sitarist and composer who lived in India while he studied Hindustani music, and Thiago is rooted in Afro-Brazilian traditions while embracing contemporary experimental practices.
As parallel stories unfold in life, people start at different points of origin and then meet each other under unique circumstances, becoming part of each other's reality. Leonel and I develop an artistic partnership that goes beyond ballet and embraces salsa as a cultural common ground for us both, accompanied by Thiago in percussion and Galen in sitar. Salsa is an anchor of much of Latin American history in New York, where this musical genre was developed in the 1970's, thus it becomes an offering that invites Jeevika to learn salsa while she shares, in turn, some of her captivating journey in Odissi, from India.
Grand Finale
Jeevika comes from the roots of Odissi yet expands into contemporary vocabularies to embody the concept of Mokshya: enlightenment, the peak of devotion, where the dancer and the dance become one, as they offer themselves in complete surrender to the divine. Accompanied by sitar and percussion, a final dance dialogue between Odissi and Salsa takes place between Jeevika, Leonel, and myself, staging a microcosm of a societal ideal: peace and mutuality between diverse cultures. Beyond the expectations of each culture, there is more of one’s true nature to be discovered across the border."
- Elisa Toro Franky, Director.
How We Would Use Your Contributions
No amount is too small to help us reach our financial goal to produce this performance! We thank you for being with us and we hope you will join us the day of the performance, November 23, 2026.
Stretch Goals
- If we raise additional $3,750, we can produce a second performance at Arts On Site.
Ticket Link
https://www.artsonsite.org/events-1/shoes-of-migration-cumbia-ballet-salsa-and-odissi
Photographer's Instagram handle: @mellodramaticmedia
Elisa Toro Franky
www.elisatorofranky.com
IG: @elisa.toro.franky
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Jeevika's fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Jeevika's participation in the project is essential for the Odissi component of the project.
Galen's fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Galen's participation as a sitarist is essential to bring live hindustani music to the performance.
Leonel's fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Leonel is a unique contribution to our team as an exponent of Venezuelan culture.
Thiago's Fee before ticket sales
Costs $400
Thiago contributes a diversity of musical rhythms of Afro-Brazilian origin.
Elisa's Management and Rehearsal Expenses
Costs $400
Elisa's participation as a director, choreographer and performer, requires several hours of unpaid work for management and rehearsal.
Studio Rental for Performance
Costs $675
Studio 3R will be the performing space in Arts On Site, in Manhattan. We will rent it for 5 hours on 11/23/26 (5pm-10pm).
Studio Rental for Holding Room
Costs $75
Studio 3F will be the holding room for the performers in Arts On Site, in Manhattan. We will rent it for 3 hours on 11/23/26 (7pm-10pm).
Rehearsal Studio Rental
Costs $600
20 hours of rehearsal studio rental at Gibney Dance, Ripley Grier, and other studio venues ( $30 per hour, 2-hour rehearsals).
Photography for Marketing Materials
Costs $375
Professional photography and marketing is important to visualize the concept of the project and attract backers.
Videography During Perfromance
Costs $250
Professional videography is important to retain material for all the artists involved, fo future performances and participation in festivals
Photography During Performance
Costs $430
Professional photography during performance is important for all the artists' portfolio and participation in future projects and festivals.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Elisa Toro Franky is a New York-based professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, and bilingual voice actress whose work bridges ballet, tango, salsa, and Middle Eastern styles. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, she trained at Miami City Ballet School and has performed with FJK Dance, Accent Dance NYC, Westchester Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Washington Ballet Studio Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, and other leading companies. As a former Program Director of Accent Dance NYC, Elisa continues to perform, create, and educate through dance and multidisciplinary performance.
Jeevika Bhat is a dancer and choreographer exploring the confluence of her cultures through a Contemporary/Indian-American lens. Trained in Odissi under Guru Jyoti Rout, she draws on the form’s nuanced storytelling and graceful fluidity. She holds a BS in Mathematics with minors in Linguistics and Dance from UC San Diego and an MFA in Dance from UC Irvine.
Thiago Trad is a Brazilian percussionist, composer, researcher, and educator whose work bridges Afro-Brazilian traditions, contemporary experimentation, music, and movement. His practice explores rhythm, improvisation, and deep listening, creating collaborative musical landscapes that foster dialogue and connection between dancers, musicians, and audiences.
Leonel Linares is a Venezuelan dancer, choreographer, teacher, and director based in New York. A certified Vaganova technique teacher from the Bolshoi Academy of Moscow, he has performed with leading contemporary and ballet companies and alongside major Latin music artists. He is a co-founder of La Casa de la Cultura Venezolana in NY and has received multiple awards for his choreography, including first place at New York’s Hispanic Folkloric Dance Contest in 2019 and 2020.
Galen Passen is a Brooklyn-based sitarist, composer, and visual artist whose interdisciplinary work draws on his deep engagement with Hindustani classical music and diverse cultural traditions. After studying in New Delhi from 2009–2017, he developed a multicultural artistic practice spanning music, dance, experimental composition, and multimedia works, collaborating with artists and organizations across the United States and internationally.