Based in New York, Dr. Neela Zareen is an Indian classical dancer in the styles of Kathak and Kuchipudi.  She has trained under the tutelage of her Kathak Guru Smt. Prerana Deshpande and Kuchipudi Guru Smt. Sadhana Paranji.   She has completed her Rangapravesam, earned the title “Natya Tilakam” in Kuchipudi and Guru Purnima in Kathak.  For over two decades, Neela has been performing Kathak and Kuchipudi regularly in various cities and communities in USA. She has performed in India, as well.

In 2022 she received the Arts Fund Grant from Queens Council on the Arts and staged a solo Kuchipudi performance in Queens Theatre. The topic of her performance was “Ashtanayika”.   In April of this year, Neela arranged and performed in a grand Kathak concert with her Guru and her students, staged at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in Manhattan.  In the summer of 2023, Neela is doing a four-months long Kathak tour with Queensboro Dance Festival, where she is teaching and performing Kathak and brining Indian classical dance to the forefront of the mainstream dance community. 

Neela is also a very dedicated teacher of Kathak and Kuchipudi.  With the blessings her Gurus, Neela began her dance school Neela Dance Academy, Inc. nearly ten years ago in Jackson Heights and Manhattan, where she teaches traditional Kathak and Kuchipudi.  Her students are regularly invited to perform dance in various communities and occasions.        She is passionate about propagating these dance styles to the next generation in their purest forms.

In parallel with her dance career, Neela is a neuroscience researcher at the CUNY School of Medicine.  She received her PhD in neurobiology from Columbia University and currently her research interests include how to repair and reconnect the brain to the spinal cord after spinal cord injury.  She has numerous publishing in peer-reviewed science journals and also works as an assistant adjunct professor in human genetics.