March 8 + 9, 2024 • 7:30 pm
Running time: 70 minutes (no intermission)
The Royal Theatre is located on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples, also known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live, create, and perform on this territory.
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble.
Photo: Karthik Venkataraman
Artistic Director / Choreographer / Sound Design: Surupa Sen
Music Composer: Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi
Rhythm Composers: Dhaneswar Swain & Surupa Sen
Master Tailor: Ghulam Rasool
Executive Producer / Technical Director / Lighting Designer: Lynne Fernandez
Dancers
Surupa Sen, Pavithra Reddy, Anoushka Rahman, Rohini Banerjee, Daquil Miriyala
Musicians
Jateen Sahu, lead vocal & harmonium
Rohan Dahale, chants & mardala (percussion)
Parshuram Das, bamboo flute
Siba Nayak, violin
Surupa Sen, lead voice & manjira
Nrityagram, the land of red mud and birdsong, is our home and muse. For over three decades, this land has nurtured us, and we have poured our sweat, dreams, and art into its bountiful earth.
We invite audiences to journey with us across time to witness KHANKANĀ: the sound of dancing feet. We present highly acclaimed and celebrated pieces over the last three decades by choreographer Surupa Sen, showcasing a unique sensibility of thought and movement.
Join us and soak your feet in the red earth of our land as we dance for a more hopeful future for our Earth.
Wandering minstrels sing and dance in praise of Lord Krishna… The lotus-eyed lord with the flute in his hands and a peacock feather in his hair. The eternal lover, the yogi, the last refuge. Protector of the universe, he is the purest of all beings. The only truth.
Dancers Anoushka Rahman, Rohini Banerjee, Daquil Miriyala, Pavithra Reddy, Surupa Sen
Dhīra Samīré
A poem from the Gita Govinda is interpreted through facial expressions (bhava) and gestures (mudra). Written in Sanskrit in the 12th century by the poet saint Jayadeva, the Gita Govinda is a romantic ballad about the immortal love of Radha and Krishna. It is a song of love and longing that reflects the Vaishnava belief that all humankind is feminine energy (Radha) constantly seeking union with the one male godhead (Krishna).
Annoyed with Krishna who flirts with other women, Radha is in a state of jealousy and yearning.
The Sakhi (friend) brings a message to Radha that Krishna awaits her.
“In the dark of the night on the banks of the Yamuna river…
Odissi dance is a classical form that finds its origins in the temple of coastal India’s Odisha region. Its structured and formalized movements can be found on the walls of temple ruins, indicating that its practice reaches back to at least 200 BCE. The artists of Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, recognized as being ‘among the world’s greatest dancers’ by The New York Times, are both keepers of and innovators in the ancient Odissi form.
Odissi speaks of love and union between human and divine, transporting viewers to enchanted worlds of magic and spirituality. Its sensuousness and lyricism reflect both the motifs of Odisha temple sculpture as well as the poetry from the deep wellsprings of Oriya music.
adorned with wildflowers and jewels, Krishna awaits you.
His flute calls out your name, as he wanders through the forest caressing the breeze for your touch.
He prepares a bed of love and his eager eyes search anxiously at every stir of a leaf.
Do not linger, oh sensuous-hipped one. Cast away these traitorous bells from your ankles and drape yourself with the night. Hasten to your beloved, he awaits you.”
Dancer Surupa Sen
Aakritī
A submission to the inherently lyrical form of Odissi, this dance explores the various dimensions of its abstract, and geometric vocabulary.
Dancers Pavithra Reddy, Anoushka Rahman, Rohini Banerjee, Daquil Miriyala
Srīdevī
A dance in praise of the Mother Goddess. As we brave new journeys, we ask the divine presence of the Mother Goddess to light our path.
“Oh mother!
Supreme power of the universe, grant us the vision to behold you within.
From you comes all life and into you we must all return. At your feet we offer our dance.
Dancers Pavithra Reddy, Anoushka Rahman, Rohini Banerjee, Daquil Miriyala
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble. Photos: Steven Pisano
Nrityagram (pronounced NRI-thyuh-graam) is located outside Bangalore, India. It was founded in 1990 by Odissi dancer Protima Gauri, who converted ten acres of farmland into a setting for the study, practice, and teaching of dance. A village of artists dedicated to the practice and nurture of a 2000year-old art form, Nrityagram (which means dance village) is home to a school inspired by the Gurukula, an ancient teaching paradigm, and the dance ensemble.
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble is regarded as one of the foremost dance companies of India. Led by Artistic Director Surupa Sen, the company has achieved worldwide critical acclaim. The ensemble is devoted to bringing Odissi—one of the oldest dance styles in the world—to audiences worldwide. Although steeped in and dedicated to ancient practice, the ensemble is also committed to carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century.
Enabled by grants from arts funding organizations, Nrityagram’s dancers not only explore creative expansions of traditions but are also able to commission fresh compositions from leading Indian classical musicians. They research, innovate, create original work, and perform to audiences across the globe.
Read the dancers’ and musicians’ full biographies by scanning this QR code with your smartphone’s camera:
Nrityagram has presented seven full-length ensemble shows: Śrī: In Search of the Goddess (2001), Ansh (2005), Sacred Space (2005), Pratimā: Reflection (2008), Śriyah . (2010), Samhāra (2012) and Āhuti (2019); two full-length duet shows Samyoga (2012) and Songs of Love and Longing (2013); and two full-length solo shows Yadunandana (2017) and Vinati: Songs from the Gita Govinda (2021). All works are choreographed by Surupa Sen.
Tour Management: Joanna Futral
Exclusive USA Tour Representation: Pentacle
Sandy Garcia sandyg@pentacle.org www.pentacle.org
Nrityagram www.nrityagram.org lynne@nrityagram.org
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Draw: May 17, 2024 • 2:00 pm
Draw Location: Dance Victoria Studios, 111 – 2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, 250-595-1829
Total number of tickets: 400 @ $10 and 2000 @ 5 for $40
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Nrityagram Dance Ensemble. Photo (left): CFAA; (right): Steven Pisano
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Board of Directors
President: Colette Baty
Vice President: Brendan Ralfs
Treasurer: Joost Pelt
Secretary: Sarah Millard
Directors:
Kemi Craig
Linley Faulkner
Marlon Murr
Philip Pierce
Carrie Smart
Dance Victoria is supported by:
Staff
Executive Director: Gillian Jones
General Manager: Dayna Szyndrowski
Development & Operations Manager:
Shireen McNeilage
Marketing Manager: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer
Production Manager: Holly Vivian
Community Engagement Manager: Larissa Sharma
Artist Programs & Studio Manager: Kiera Shaw
Graphic Design: Rayola Creative
Advertising Sales: Bonnie Light Advertising
Dance Victoria wishes to thank its many donors and volunteers.
Dance Victoria’s Chrystal Dance Fund and Endowment Fund are held at Victoria Foundation. Dance Victoria is a proud member of the CanDance Network and the BC Alliance of Arts & Culture.
Dance Victoria Studios
111 – 2750 Quadra St.
Victoria, BC V8T 4E8
P: 250-595-1829
F: 250-590-7209
info@dancevictoria.com
Additional support for Dance Victoria’s presentation of Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and related outreach activities is generously provided by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment.
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