Welcome to the
Yuva Kala Sangamam
Presented by
Silambam Phoenix
Fine Arts Association of Arizona
What is the Yuva Kala Sangamam?
The Yuva Kala Sangamam is a one day festival on August 8, 2026 presenting young artists to from around the USA to the Valley of the Sun.
We aim to bring the diversity of South Asian classical art right to you from the up and coming generation of artists.
These artists were chosen by a panel of artists representing the disciplines presented by our applicants.
Our festival presentation is an all day event at The ASU Kerr Cultural Center with each performance slot lasting 40 minutes. Applications are open from March 8, 2026- April 5, 2026. Applicants will be notified of their status in May.
There is a $20 application fee for your application. This fee will cover the costs to run this program and hire external adjudicators.
This year, we are specifically seeking artists who practice an art form that is not represented widely in the South Asian sphere. If you are a practitioner of an underrepresented art form, we encourage you to apply!
Chosen participants will receive a $100 honorarium and $100 travel compensation (whether you are a soloist or group). There is application fee. We look forward to reviewing your application!
Frequently Asked Questions- Application
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We hope to one day be able to accommodate international artists. Unfortunately, we can only accept applications from US based artists.
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We ask tha you submit ONE video that is no more than 30 MINUTES. If you submit a longer video or more than one video, we cannot consider your application.
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There is a $20 fee to apply for this festival. This fee goes straight back into the operation of this festival including hiring external adjudicators, paying our staff, and ensuring equitable treatment of all of the applications we receive.
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We are seeking people in the South Asian performing arts space from any community of artists. This is an incredibly diverse arts space and we want to showcase a slice of that diversity. The ideal candidate is someone who has performance experience and has spent time exploring their craft as an individual artist. We are looking for your stamp on the artistic community you are a part of.
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Based on the applications we receive, we will convene review panels of professional artists across disciplines. We guarantee that your application will be reviewed by a fellow practitioner. For example, if you ar a kathak dancer then a fellow kathak dancer will review your application.
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YES! We will gladly provide you the feedback from our panel. If you would like feedback, please email us to receive it.
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Each soloist/group will be given a 40 minute slot. What you do with that time is up to you!
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You will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Dancers- evaluated on their brittany, abhinaya, storytelling, creativity, and performance.
Vocalists- evaluated on Manodharma/swaram, diction, intonation, musicality, vocal technique, and performance.
Instrumentalists- evaluated on Manodharma/swaram, technique, musicality, tonal quality, and performance.
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Yes! We will happily evaluate applications submitted by groups and collectives. Please note that the applicant stipend will be the same regardless of individual or group application.
