Sarah Morelli
Professor, Ethnomusicology
303-871-6962 (Office)
Newman Performing Arts Center, 2344 East Iliff Ave. Denver, CO 80208
Professional Biography
Sarah Morelli is Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music (Ph.D., Harvard University, 2007). She currently serves as President of the Society for Asian Music, Book Reviews Co-editor for the journal Ethnomusicology, and as a member of the Editorial Board for South Asian Dance Intersections.
Active as a scholar and performer, Sarah’s work is grounded in extensive training with kathak dance master Pandit Chitresh Das and Hindustani music maestro Ali Akbar Khan (voice and sarod). She has also studied with noted disciples including Pandit Rajeev Taranath, George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, Steve Oda, and with retired baiji performing artist Madhuri Devi Singh.
Her monograph, A Guru’s Journey: Pandit Chitresh Das and Indian Classical Dance in Diaspora (University of Illinois Press, 2019), is an ethnographic account of Pandit Das’s dance company and school, his unique contributions to kathak, and processes of cultural transformation in artistic diasporas. This research has also led to publications in The Music of Multicultural America: Performance, Identity, and Community in the United States, Anthropological Notebooks, and College Music Symposium Forums.
Sarah is co-editor of Music and Dance as Everyday South Asia (Oxford University Press, 2024), a 30-chapter volume advocating for inclusive, comprehensive, and embodied approaches to the study of South Asian music and dance. She also authored the Instructor’s Manual for the college-level world music textbook Soundscapes (W.W. Norton, 3rd ed.) and is co-editing The Bloomsbury Handbook of Ethnomusicology with Sarah Weiss and Rachel Ong Shu Ying.
As a kathak performer, Sarah has presented full solos and leading roles at venues ranging from the Royal Opera House in Mumbai and LA’s Ford Amphitheatre to Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. She is a founding soloist with the Leela Dance Collective, which unites leading kathak artists across the U.S. to collaboratively advance a shared vision for kathak’s future. She is also a member of the Temporal Taal Collective, a cross-cultural ensemble that weaves together Indian classical music, jazz, and global traditions to create new, immersive performance experiences.
In Colorado, Sarah is the founder and director of Leela Denver, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the next generation of kathak artists and aficionados. Through training, mentorship, and public performances, Leela Denver supports students at all levels while cultivating a deeper appreciation for South Asian music and dance within the broader community.
Active as a scholar and performer, Sarah’s work is grounded in extensive training with kathak dance master Pandit Chitresh Das and Hindustani music maestro Ali Akbar Khan (voice and sarod). She has also studied with noted disciples including Pandit Rajeev Taranath, George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, Steve Oda, and with retired baiji performing artist Madhuri Devi Singh.
Her monograph, A Guru’s Journey: Pandit Chitresh Das and Indian Classical Dance in Diaspora (University of Illinois Press, 2019), is an ethnographic account of Pandit Das’s dance company and school, his unique contributions to kathak, and processes of cultural transformation in artistic diasporas. This research has also led to publications in The Music of Multicultural America: Performance, Identity, and Community in the United States, Anthropological Notebooks, and College Music Symposium Forums.
Sarah is co-editor of Music and Dance as Everyday South Asia (Oxford University Press, 2024), a 30-chapter volume advocating for inclusive, comprehensive, and embodied approaches to the study of South Asian music and dance. She also authored the Instructor’s Manual for the college-level world music textbook Soundscapes (W.W. Norton, 3rd ed.) and is co-editing The Bloomsbury Handbook of Ethnomusicology with Sarah Weiss and Rachel Ong Shu Ying.
As a kathak performer, Sarah has presented full solos and leading roles at venues ranging from the Royal Opera House in Mumbai and LA’s Ford Amphitheatre to Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. She is a founding soloist with the Leela Dance Collective, which unites leading kathak artists across the U.S. to collaboratively advance a shared vision for kathak’s future. She is also a member of the Temporal Taal Collective, a cross-cultural ensemble that weaves together Indian classical music, jazz, and global traditions to create new, immersive performance experiences.
In Colorado, Sarah is the founder and director of Leela Denver, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the next generation of kathak artists and aficionados. Through training, mentorship, and public performances, Leela Denver supports students at all levels while cultivating a deeper appreciation for South Asian music and dance within the broader community.
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Ethnomusicology, Harvard University, 2007
- BA, Music and Russian, Dickinson College, 1995
Professional Affiliations
- Society for Ethnomusicology
- Society for Asian Music
- International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance
Featured Publications
Morelli, Sarah L. “'All The Parts Of Who I Am': Multi-Gendered Performance In Kathak Dance.” In Music And Dance As Everyday South Asia. 18 New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press. 2024.
Morelli, Sarah L. “'Who Is A Dancing Hero?' Rap, Hip Hop, And Dance In Korean Popular Culture.” In Global Noise: Rap And Hip-Hop Outside The Usa. 248-258 Middletown, CT, USA: Wesleyan University Press. 2002.
Performances
Sarah L. Morelli, Songs of India: Hindustani music and kathak dance, Jayanta Banerjee (sitar), Sarah Morelli (kathak), Satyaprakash Mishra (tabla), Denver, Colorado, Lamont School of Music, 2022.
Sarah L. Morelli, Continuum Festival of North Indian Classical Music & Dance, Sarah Morelli, solo, San Francisco, CA, USA, 2019.
Sarah L. Morelli, Son of the Wind, Leela Dance Collective, Hollywood, CA, Ford Theatre, 2019.
Sarah L. Morelli, Son of the Wind, Leela Dance Collective, Mumbai, India, 2019.
Sarah L. Morelli, The Voice Within, Seibi Lee (kathak) with accompanying musicians, San Francisco, CA, Leela Dance Collective, 2022.
Sarah L. Morelli, Pilgrimage - Initial Performance of a Rajasthani Collaboration, Leela Dance Collective with Hindustani classical and Rajasthani folk musicians, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, State Bank of India, 2018.
Sarah L. Morelli, Solo performance, Sarah Morelli and accompanying musicians David Trasoff (sarod) and Vivek Virani (tabla), Denver, CO, USA, Society for Ethnomusicology, 2017.
Sarah L. Morelli, Pragati featuring performances by the Leela Dance Collective and Mallika Sarabhai and Ensemble, Leela Dance Collective, Irvine, CA, Leela Institute for the Arts, 2017.
Sarah L. Morelli, Shastra! Indian/Western Fusion , Sureela Ensemble, Boulder, CO, Dairy Arts Center, 2017.
Sarah L. Morelli, Ardhanari: Evoking Ancient India in our Modern World, Leela Dance Collective, Calabasas, CA, The Leela Institute for the Arts, 2016.
Presentations
Morelli, Sarah L. “The Aesthetics Of Interweaving Song, Dance, And Gesture In North Indian Courtesan Performance” Asia-Pacific Dance Festival And Conference, Honolulu, University of Hawai'i at M?noa, 2022.
Morelli, Sarah L. “Adaptations Of Karnatak Jatis For Kathak Dance” First International Webinar, Vels Institute, Chennai, India, Chennai, India, School of Music and Fine Arts, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), 2021.
Morelli, Sarah L. “Transcultural Pedagogy: Reflections On Teaching Kathak In Puebla” American Folklore Society, Online, the Chicano and Chicana Section of AFS: Traditional Dances of Mexico and Greater Mexico, and Beyond, Part II.", 2021.
Morelli, Sarah L. “Technique And Gender Expression In Kathak Dance Dramas/Técnicas Y Expresión De Género En Dramas De La Danza Kathak” Second International Colloquium Of Ethnochoreology, Puebla, Mexico, the College of Ethnochoreology at the Beneme?rita Universidad Auto?noma de Puebla (BUAP), 2019.
Morelli, Sarah L. “Participant-Observation On The Professional Stage: 'Becoming The Character' In Kathak Dance” International Council For Traditional Music Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, International Council for Traditional Music, 2019.
Morelli, Sarah L. “At The Nexus Of Music And Dance: Examining North Indian Classical Sangeet” First International Colloquium Of Ethnochoreology, Puebla, Mexico, College of Ethnochoreology at the Beneme?rita Universidad Auto?noma de Puebla, 2018.
Morelli, Sarah L. “"Ethnomusicology And Educating Global Citizens"” Cultural Diplomacy Event, University of Denver, Korbel School of International Studies, 2018.
Morelli, Sarah L. “Performing Excess: Virtuosity And Athleticism As Gendered Power In Kathak, North Indian Classical Dance” Society For Ethnomusicology Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., Society for Ethnomusicology, 2016.
Morelli, Sarah L. “"Sonic Storytelling: Percussive Footwork And Nritya In North Indian Kathak"” Conference On The Music Of South, Central And West Asia, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University, 2016.
Morelli, Sarah L. “"Behind The Curtain: Appreciating Indian Classical Dances"” Performance, Nrityagram, University of Denver, Newman Center Presents, 2018.
