Last Sunday afternoon, I had the wonderful opportunity of performing as part of the Horizon Series at Sampradaya Theatre in Mississauga. I performed classical Odissi dance repertoire choreographed by Guru Durgacharan Ranbir. Also performing at the same event was Kuchipudi dancer Harikrishnan Nair, whose performance I'm happy to have had the opportunity to watch, after I finished my own. It was engaging and enjoyable!
I find Sampradaya (the rehearsal/class studios as well as the studio theatre) to be a beautiful, nurturing space for dance. I also greatly appreciated that the young students studying classical Indian dance at the academy are so wonderfully dedicated and devoted to the art. It was truly a delight to see them again- I met many of them for the first time last year, when I taught a workshop on Odissi dance there during their Summer Intensive. It is a joy to see their enthusiasm for the South Asian dance traditions.
The Horizon Series was started by Sampradaya in 2012 as a platform for emerging dance artists practicing South Asian classical dance forms, and featured dancers Atri Nundy and Nivedha Ramalingam in its innaugural showcase.
I find that a young emerging professional dancer's experiences constitute a wide range, and that the label "Emerging Artist" itself truly covers a wide spectrum, which this series greatly takes into account. In addition to the support which Sampradaya extends to their performers at the Horizon series, I remain deeply appreciative of the inclusion of the artist talk-back as a feature in the series. For a diverse audience, I feel that such initiatives help spread awareness and understanding of South Asian dances, and may perhaps also serve to expand the understandings of classical Indian dance. Since a number of attendees at this events were also the dedicated students of the academy, they had some fascinating questions regarding aspects of the individual artistic practice itself- which I truly found stimulating.
These are a few pictures from my performance, taken by Ken Dobb, who attended this performance:
Photo Credit: Ken Dobb
Photo Credit: Ken Dobb
Photo Credit: Ken Dobb
I find Sampradaya (the rehearsal/class studios as well as the studio theatre) to be a beautiful, nurturing space for dance. I also greatly appreciated that the young students studying classical Indian dance at the academy are so wonderfully dedicated and devoted to the art. It was truly a delight to see them again- I met many of them for the first time last year, when I taught a workshop on Odissi dance there during their Summer Intensive. It is a joy to see their enthusiasm for the South Asian dance traditions.
The Horizon Series was started by Sampradaya in 2012 as a platform for emerging dance artists practicing South Asian classical dance forms, and featured dancers Atri Nundy and Nivedha Ramalingam in its innaugural showcase.
I find that a young emerging professional dancer's experiences constitute a wide range, and that the label "Emerging Artist" itself truly covers a wide spectrum, which this series greatly takes into account. In addition to the support which Sampradaya extends to their performers at the Horizon series, I remain deeply appreciative of the inclusion of the artist talk-back as a feature in the series. For a diverse audience, I feel that such initiatives help spread awareness and understanding of South Asian dances, and may perhaps also serve to expand the understandings of classical Indian dance. Since a number of attendees at this events were also the dedicated students of the academy, they had some fascinating questions regarding aspects of the individual artistic practice itself- which I truly found stimulating.
These are a few pictures from my performance, taken by Ken Dobb, who attended this performance:
Photo Credit: Ken Dobb
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