Speaker Spotlight

Born and raised in Delhi, Aakansha moved to LA in 2013 after working in the feature film Vara: A Blessing. Soon after, she founded BollyPop with the vision of making Indian dance accessible, fun, and community-driven. What started as one class has now grown into a thriving school with 6 teachers and branches across California, Salt Lake City, and New York.

Aakansha choreographed for Disney’s Freakier Friday directed by Nisha Ganatra, and performed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ first South Asian event in LA. Internationally, she was honored with invitations to perform and teach at the Ghent Indian Dance Festival in Belgium and at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.

Aakansha teaches at multiple schools across LA and inspires adults through her vibrant dance fitness sessions. She directed and choreographed two large-scale shows for Shri Ramkabir Mandir in Carson, featuring over 200 dancers and highlighting mental health in the South Asian community. She is also known for leading large crowds at Holi festivals across the U.S. and Canada and conducting Diwali workshops for companies like Google, Warner Bros., JPL, and Snap.

Beyond the stage, Aakansha co-founded Kalbeliya World, a project supporting Rajasthani folk dancers and musicians during the lockdown. She travels annually to India to teach underserved children and to train teachers in Ahmedabad through Manav Sadhna. Her work reflects not only her passion for dance but also her deep commitment to building bridges across cultures, communities, and generations.