About Us

Ishami is a South Asian Contemporary Dance Company driven by innovation. Our work exists at the intersection of commercial and experimental, traditional and modern – blending South Asian dance forms with global movement vocabularies to create experiences that are culturally grounded and artistically expansive.

We create live performances, digital works, touring productions, intimate experiences that explore identity, human connection, and evolving cultural narratives. Beyond performances, we cultivate community through classes, workshops and conventions, featuring local, national and international dance educators.

Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area by Amit Patel and Ishika Seth.

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Mission Statement

Ishami’s Mission is to explore, unite and amplify the diverse voices, stories, and histories of the South Asian diaspora through the performing arts. Though movement, and artistic collaboration, we create spaces where culture meets innovation, sparking reflection, dialogue, and connection.

Using the idiom of South Asian Contemporary dance, we tread the line between traditional and modern - honoring heritage while embracing experimentation, complexity, and new ways of storytelling, centering queer narratives, women’s voices and diasporic experiences. We aspire to showcase the beauty, depth, and immense range of South Asian contemporary movement with audiences locally and across the globe.

We value individuality and cultural exchange, fostering environments where artists can create boldly and authentically. Through our work, we strive to challenge inherited narratives, build bridges across cultures, and create art that is both elevated and thought-provoking.

Meet the Founders

Amit Patel & Ishika Seth have been creating work and performing together for over a decade. Ishami stems from their vision to center South Asian diasporic experience through a queer, feminist lens, through contemporary dance art. Ishami is an evolution of their work and a structure to support it in this next phase. They are inspired to create a space where dancers can develop their own individuality, build community and share authentic stories.

Work Highlights:

Audience's Choice Award for “Broken Memories'' at SJDanceCo.’s ChoreoProject Awards in 2016 at San Jose State University.
First place for their self-shot digital dance project “Fragments'' for Nrittam 2020, hosted by Urshilla Dance Company in India.
First South Asian group on the Pride Mainstage as part of Parivar Bay Area.
Evening length show “Unearthed-Untold Stories of the Ramayana,” at the ODC Theater in 2022.

Ishika Seth (she/her)

Amit Patel (he/him)

Ishika Seth (she/her) is a choreographer, dancer, dance educator and writer. Her work centers women’s voices and stories, and is informed by her diverse dance background, including contemporary, modern, Mayurbanj Chhau, Kathak, waacking, and beyond. Through her art, she reflects and questions, celebrates and shatters various aspects of the world around us. She has been a professional dance artist since 2007, self-producing work at festivals, choreographing stage and digital work, dance tours, and self-producing shows. She has been a choreographer for theatrical productions produced by San Jose Lyric Opera, Aurora Theater in Berkeley, San Francisco State University, Stanford Savoyards, Chthonic Theater in Oakland and Artistes Unlimited in India. She has a B.A. in Dance from San Jose State University, and was the Assistant Artistic Director of the Mona Khan Company from 2011-2021.

Amit Patel (he/him), a native of Fremont, CA, is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and creative director living in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a first-generation born Indian-American, he combines his Indian culture and global training in his work, drawing from his experience in jazz, ballet, Bollywood/Indian Fusion, and extensive training in contemporary and modern dance. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, his work is dedicated to creating safe spaces for dancers and bringing forth marginalized stories. He is notable for his rebellious pieces in heels which challenge the norms of sexual identity and gender expression in dance. He has taught and performed internationally in Finland, the UK, Spain, France, Greece, Canada and India. His professional stage experience includes 10+ years as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher at the Mona Khan Company, 6+ years with Bliss Dance Company, and a performance season with Pietre Dance Theater in Los Angeles.