May 20 :
The Indian Heritage and Cultural Association of New Jersey (IHCA-NJ) and the Consulate General of India in New York are partnering to bring Nritya Darpan 2024, a one-day dance festival, back to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Centre (NBPAC) in New Brunswick, New Jersey on May 25. Dr. Ashok Chaudhary, Founder and President of IHCA-NJ, came up with the idea for the event in 2022. According to a press release from the organisers, the goal is to showcase local dance groups and artists who are exceptionally talented and who take Indian dance beyond its classical roots and give it a modern twist.
The stories will try to dispel traditional objectification of women, and one of the artists performing is Shubhamani Chandrasekhar, an exponent of Bharatanatyam who "will bring to life the qualities of freedom and self-assurance exemplified by the celestial beings called apsaras in a duet titled Apsara," according to the organisers. Having come from a long line of accomplished musicians and dancers, Chandrasekhar started studying with her mother Sharadhamani Shekar when she was five years old.
Contemporary Kathak by Parul Shah is an ongoing project that seeks to subvert and dismantle Western notions and expectations of Indian dance. Along with Harsimran Kaur, Shah will perform the piece as creative director of the Parul Shah dance company. Shah holds a Master of Arts in Dance and Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from New York University. Her dissertation will centre on how dance education in the United States has been decolonized and how other cultures' identities are explored via dance. She is presently pursuing a doctorate in dance and cultural studies.
Taalam (Rhythm), a fusion of Bharatanatyam and American tap dance, will be presented by Vikas Arun and his organisation Project Convergence. The show will honour the universal language of rhythm. Notable media outlets that have covered the firm include The Guardian, The Dance Enthusiast, and WNYC (New York Public Radio). They have performed all around the US, notably at Lincoln Center's 2018 Out of Doors Series, NRG Stadium (home of the Houston Texans), and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Erasing Borders Dance Festival. The Citigroup Theatre at Alvin Ailey and Damrosch Park at Lincoln Centre both had sold-out crowds of 5,000 people each for excerpts from their production Taalam (Rhythm).
Chahiti and Shadjam, two hilarious masterpieces by Bharathi Penneswaran and her ensemble, will be performed by the artistic director and co-founder of Aalokam. These pieces combine Penneswaran's daring and humorous style with the storytelling elements of Bharatanatyam. Penneswaran resides in New York City and works as a dancer and choreographer. She adds a vibrant twist to traditional Indian dance with her expertise in Shilpanatanam.
This cameo figure, the king of birds in the Hindu epic Ramayana, will be explored in Mesma Belsaré's dance Jatayu. Maya Kulkarni's groundbreaking narrative dance style, Shilpanatanam, which she created, expands the bounds of Indian classical dance to include non-traditional subjects and expressions. As a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Belsaré has a classical background. She is described as "a tour de force...a genuine act of transcendence and religious immersion" by the New York Times. Her performance has been described by the Dance Current magazine as "as mesmerising as staring into the heart of a fire." Belsaré has been honoured with several fellowships and awards for her exceptional work, including the Dance/USA 2023 Fellowship from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the 2024 Artist Fellowship Award from the NJ Arts Council, and assistance from NEFA, the Government of Delhi (Sāhitya Kalā Parishad), and the Cambridge Arts Council. She has given performances at the Gardner Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, and Boston Museum of Fine Arts, among other public institutions in the United States. Visit ihca-nj.com for more details and to purchase tickets.
