"Erasing Borders: Festival of Indian Dance strikes me as the best new arrival on this city's dance scene in the last two years..."'New York Times

Indian—and India-inspired—dance in an array of forms, old and new: Two evening concerts feature performances traditional and experimental, classical and post-modern, highlighting both dramatic and non-narrative dance. Day sessions of panels, workshops, and demonstrations explore aspects of Indian dance across genres.





Workshop: Rasaboxes
Sunday, June 6, 12:00 ' 1:30 pm
Rasaboxes brings the practice of abhinaya into American performer training techniques. Rasaboxes was developed by Richard Schechner over his long engagement with avant-garde theatre, Kathakali, and the Naatyashaastra, a Sanskrit text dealing with theatre, dance, and music. Rasaboxes trains participants to physically access and express eight key emotions. It integrates ancient theory with contemporary emotion research, neuroscience, and performance theory. Rasaboxes integrates rather than separates acting, movement, and voice. It engages the whole performer in a single, powerful, and learnable approach.

Led by: Paula Murray Cole (Assistant Professor, Department of Theater Arts, Ithaca College)
Limited space available.
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Moving Traditions
Sunday, June 6, 2:00 ' 3:30 pm
Dance traditions connect us to the past and move us into the future. As traditions transform, how have changes in patronage, transmission, and globalization affected dance and choreography? A thought-provoking discussion with leading dancers, choreographers, and scholars who will share their insights into the changing world of Indian dance.

Keynote Panelist: Richard Schechner (TBC)
Panelists: Anita Ratnam, Chitra Sundaram, Navtej Johar
Moderator: Purnima Shah
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Kutcheri-Mehfil: Cushion Conversations
Sunday, June 6, 4:00 ' 6:00 pm
At the heart of Indian dance lies abhinaya, in which a dancer conveys poetic, philosophic, imagistic meanings suggested by the accompanying lyrics. Four senior performers of Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Bharatanatyam present their approaches to this art. The evening culminates with improvisations of abhinaya'across disciplines but within a shared aesthetic tradition.

Presenters: Anuradha Nehru (Kuchipudi), Prerana Deshpande (Kathak), Rachna Sarang (Kathak), Ramya Ramnarayan (Bharatanatyam)
Moderators: Chitra Sundaram, Prachi Dalal
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Complete festival information