Navaji David Nava

Navaji David Nava is a choreographer, dancer, educator, visual artist, author, and Pranic Healer from the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, now based in Austin. He is the founder of ATMA Moves, a movement methodology and repertory ensemble rooted in Pranic Dance—his original synthesis of Pranic Healing, professional dance, and embodied spiritual practice.

His life in dance began early under the guidance of Richard d’Alton and Jill d’Alton, whose mentorship helped shape the discipline and artistic foundation of his path. Navaji entered the professional world at sixteen after representing the United States at the Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, later joining Sarasota Ballet. Over the years, he has performed leading and featured roles across classical and contemporary repertoire and worked with Sarasota Contemporary Dance Theatre, Ventana Ballet, and Red Nightfall Dance Theatre in both artistic and advisory capacities.

A decisive turning point came in 2011, after a near-death experience that awakened his perception and altered the course of his inner life. In 2012, he met his friend and mentor Anthony Cowan, whose guidance became foundational in the unfolding of his spiritual path. From that period forward, Navaji committed deeply to Pranic Healing, meditation, energetic study, and inner development. Over more than thirteen years of practice, healing has remained central to his life and work, shaping not only his understanding of consciousness and service, but the very framework from which ATMA Moves emerged.

In 2023, he served as Resident Choreographer for Ventana Ballet, where he created and produced his original full-length ballet KOMOREBI, recognized for its theatrical atmosphere, multimedia vision, and choreographic ambition. A published review described the work as part of a “new creative ballet world” and noted the “growing gentle brilliance” of Nava’s artistic vision.

Beyond performance, Navaji’s practice extends across education, healing, literature, and visual art. He holds a degree in Art and Education from the University of Texas at Austin, has worked as an arts educator with Austin ISD, and is the author of A Soul’s Life. Through ATMA Moves, he continues to advance a path in which movement becomes a vehicle for artistic rigor, energetic refinement, healing, and the awakening of human consciousness.