Dance. Storytelling. Culture. Community.
Ishami is an award-winning contemporary dance company, founded by Amit Patel & Ishika Seth based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our work treads the line between commercial and experimental, traditional and modern, sparking conversations through art. 
Who We Are
Amit Patel & Ishika Seth have been creating work and performing together for over a decade. Ishami stems from their vision to create contemporary dance works that reflect lived experience - navigating identity, belonging and transformation through movement.
They are inspired to create a space to celebrate individuality, build community, and share authentic stories.Featured Productions
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PEHCHAAN
An award-winning dance & music production exploring hyphenated identities.
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MEHFIL: A DESI CABARET
An immersive experience that blends South Asian and global dance forms, with contemporary queer expression and cabaret flair.
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MANCHAPRAVESH
A radical reimagination of an Odissi recital from a queer, critical, diasporic lens.
Why It Matters
Because movement can hold what words cannot
Because our stories deserve space, complexity and care
Because dance can be both memory and becoming
Desi Dance Community
A shared space for learning, movement and connection through classes, workshops, intensives and the Roots & Rhythms Dance Convention. Supporting dancers at all stages of their practice fostering connection both in and beyond the studio
Meet the Artists
Amit Patel (he/him) (Co-Founder/Artistic Director)
Ishika Seth (she/her) (Co-Founder/Artistic Director)
Akhil Joondeph (he/they) (Creative Director)
