| The Festival dancers, turned away from traditional performance spaces, take the time to reflect, activate, and energize through other forms of healing. Mesma Belsaré seeks inspiration in the fluid lines of India’s ancient architecture while Singapore-based Neha Mondal Chakravarty meditates on a tiny seed sprouting into the fullness of womanhood in Bharatanatyam. Vishwakiran Nambi collects his contemporary group in the urbanscape of Bengalaru to use their bodies in deeply felt and original ways. Arun Mathai draws power and energy from The Great God Shiva against the Black Lives protests in US for his Bharatanatyam performance. New Yorker Damir Tasmagambetov from Kazakhstan, trained in Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam in India bridges many cultures, and concludes his creative presentation through a prayer for Shanti or peace. US based Kathak dancer Barkha Patel is nourished by her week-long walk in Gujarat in prayers for Goddess Bahuchara Maa, a deity for the transgender community in India. Divyaa Unni in Bharatanatyam depicts the unusually calm Goddess Kalika, who appears with neem leaves and holy water this one time to bring balance and tranquility back. Kuchipudi dancer Sandhya Raju’s solo presents Lord Krishna, the one who lifted the Govardhan mountain to provide much needed shelter. Her Tarangam dance piece on a brass plate, built through years of training provides much needed charm. Ganesh Vasudeva’s Bharatanatyam depicts the Ganga River flowing down from the icy Himalayas, believed to be Lord Shiva’s locks of hair, into nourishing rivers and streams. Assam’s Sattriya dancer and social entrepreneur Krishnakshi Kashyap reflect on the centuries old meditative performances of the region while Purulia Chhau artist Shambhu Nath Karmakar marches with his ensemble in the traditional acrobatic martial art form to show Goddess Durga vanquishing Mahishasur, the bull demon to restore peace and prosperity. |
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About the Artists
Mesma Belsaré (Shilpa Natana) is a dancer, painter and actor, described by The New York Times as "a tour de force...a true act of transcendence...", "as mesmerizing as staring into the heart of a fire", by The Dance Current Magazine, and with a "capacity for intense involvement" by The Hindu. Belsaré studied Bharatanātyam in India under Sri Shankar Hombal at the Kalāpadma Academy, under Padmashri Geeta Chandran at the Nātya Vriksha Academy of Performing Arts and continues learning with New York based Maya Kulkarni and creating new dance works inspired by classical visual arts/architecture, Sanskrit literature and Greek mythology/philosophy. Her solos were seen at The Lincoln Center, Asia Society, Alvin Ailey (NYC), The Lincoln Theater (Washington D.C.), Siri Fort (New Delhi), The Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, Canada), and MFA Boston among others.
With a classical Indian training in music, dance, painting, theater, and both Indian and European aesthetics, her work derives inspiration from performing and visual arts alike. Belsaré is also an art educator and curates educational programs based on contemporary art. She is recipient of the Cambridge Arts Council's Artist-Grant, the Government of India's Sāhitya Kalā Parishad scholarship for advanced training in Bharatanātyam and Indian classical music, and the New England Foundation for the Arts DANCE grant. Invited artist-residencies and talks include Georgetown University (2019), UC Berkeley (2019), California Institute of Integral Studies (2019), Drexel University (2019), William Paterson University (2019), MIT Cambridge, MA (2019) and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (2019/2010) among several others. More information is available at www.mesmabelsare.com.
Krishnakshi Kashyap (Sattriya) is a Sattriya dancer, educator, choreographer, cultural and social ideapreneur. Sattriya dance is 500 year old living tradition practiced in Sattras-monsatic communities of Assam.
A recipient of the Young Talent Artiste Award by NEZCC, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, she was conferred the Dalmia Cement Young Achiever's Award 2020 for her exceptional achievements in the field of art and culture. As a practitioner-performer, she promotes Sattriya Dance, the 600 years old living tradition of Assam, a state in North East India. Trained under renowned Gurus Shri Ramkrishna Talukdar, Shri Jatin Goswami and Smt. Indira P. P Bora, Krishnakshi has performed Sattriya on various prestigious platforms across the country. She is a graded artiste under Prasar Bharati, India's largest public broadcasting agency. Under her initiative 'Empowerment through Arts', she teaches Sattriya to under privileged girls, adding color to their lives and empowering them. Krishnakshi has started an initiative, ‘Promote the Heritage Culture - Sattriya’ and conducts Sattriya online workshops.
Arun Mathai (Bharatanatyam) was first exposed to Bharatanatyam while watching his older sister in class, and would often imitate the moves he witnessed, using the coffee table as his stage. Encouraged by his parents he started studying at Kala Vandana Dance Center, in San Jose, California, under the rigorous but loving guidance of his guru, Smt. Sundara Swaminathan.
After obtaining his BS in Business Administration Arun joined LA-based Blue13 Dance Company and soon became a principal dancer. He also began traveling abroad to study with respected teachers and perform. In addition to his guru, some of the renowned instructors Arun studies with include: Smt. KP Yasodha, Smt Rama Vaidyanathan, Smt. Bragha Bessell, Sri Hari Padman, and Smt. Viji Prakash.
Currently a freelance artist, Arun is also the Budget Manager at LACMA, is pursuing his MBA at UCLA Anderson, and is a part-time lecturer at USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.
Neha Mondal Chakravarty (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam) hailing from India, New Delhi, is a Bharatanatyam performer, teacher and choreographer, who currently resides in Singapore. An alumna of Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, Neha was trained by stalwarts like Shri A. Janardhanan, Sheejith Krishna, Smt. Jyotsana Menon and Ms. Leela Samson. Her experience with Kalakshetra’s repertory company, under the guidance of Leela Samson transformed her into a subtle and thinking dancer. Neha worked as an empaneled “A” grade artist with the Ministry Of Information and Broadcasting, New Delhi.
Her inclination towards body awareness led her to train rigorously in jazz, contemporary dance, and somatic techniques. She received junior and senior scholarships in Bharatanatyam from NCERT and Ministry Of Culture. Neha moved with her husband to Kuala Lumpur in 2014 and later Singapore. Neha has performed extensively in South East Asia, USA, UK and Europe. She now trains serious practitioners of the art form
Vishwakiran Nambi (Contemporary) is a performer, choreographer, dance filmmaker, academic and Director of LOKA Studio for Movement Practices and the driving force behind Vishwakiran Nambi Dance Education (VNDE). He was the principal dancer, head of training and one of the principal choreographers of ‘Nritarutya Dance Company’ for over 10 years. His training is diverse ranging from Indian classical forms to Indian folk and martial dance forms. Though his foundation is in contemporary dance and Bharatanatyam, he constantly trains and explores the folk dimensions of South Indian dance and trains extensively in martial forms. He has been a solo performer for over 5 years now and has choreographed and presented his solo ‘Stone Unturned’ at the prestigious ADA Rangamandira in Bangalore as part of ADHYAYA 2017. He has, from then onward, choreographed multiple short pieces for Nritarutya and later independently created his own repertoire. His vision is to explore the possibilities in Indian dance framework particularly with the vast folk landscape. His creations are mostly experiences of regional authenticities and existential peculiarities.
Shambhu Nath Karmakar (Ashpara Care Club/Purulia Chhau) is a Purulia Chhau artist trained in the region’s traditional martial and acrobatic dance form under guru Dhananjay Mahato. He has received national scholarships in dance from Ministry of Culture, New Delhi. He is involved in Purulia Chhau performance, training, workshops, exhibitions, and competitions. He and his group Ashpara Seva Jatna Chhau Training Center has been invited to various national and international festivals including Japan, Srilanka, Bangladesh and others. He has established Seva Jatna Chhau Institution to teach the youth this martial dance form and to deepen their connections to their cultural roots.
Barkha Patel (Contemporary Kathak Company) is a touring artist who has performed at dance festivals in India to Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out series in the U.S. She completed a choreographic fellowship with Jersey Moves/New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Currently, Barkha is working on her first, full evening ensemble work called Mukta, A Woman Liberated. Recently, Barkha received a 2020 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and is a mentee of Dance/USA Institute for Leadership. Barkha teaches kathak to young and adult students in NYC/NJ and now across the world via Zoom. Barkha co-founded a Kathak meetup group, an inclusive space for Kathak dancers to practice and discuss crucial topics to the art form.
Sandhya Raju (Kuchipudi) is a Kuchipudi dancer from Hyderabad. She has learnt the dance form from the legendary dance maestro Padma Bushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam and his senior disciple Shri Kishore Mosalikanti Garu. She presented Kuchipudi as part of her Guru’s troupe as well as a solo artist. She is the founder director if Nishrinkala Dance Academy in Hyderabad. Beyond Kuchipudi dance, she has also explored other mediums of artistic expression through her acting in three short films. Her most notable one is “Natyam” on YouTube. She has acted in a Malayalam Feature Film and is currently filming for a dance based feature film where she plays the lead character of an Indian Classical Dancer.
Nahid Siddiqui (Sufi Kathak) is a Kathak artist trained by Pandit Birju Maharaj and Baba Maharaj drawing from the aesthetics of Punjab and Lahore. During a phase of cultural turmoil, she was exiled in the UK, where she taught and lectured at institutions including the University of Surrey, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and others. She has choreographed many works and created a Gharana/style combining Kathak aesthetics and Sufi spirituality.
Damir Tasmagambetov (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam) is from the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the heart of Central Asia. Damir holds a Bachelor and M.A degree from two Universities of Dance—one for each discipline in their respective country of origins. He completed his studies at the Kalakshetra Foundation, India with a 1st class Diploma in Bharatanatyam. He continued to expand his knowledge in Indian Classical Dance, graduating from The University of Madras to complete his master’s degree in Bharatanatyam in 2017. He has been selected by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) as an Empaneled artist. By special invitation Damir was selected to become a Member of the International Dance Council (CID) under UNESCO in Paris, France. As a passionate dancer he has given numerous solo and group performances at major dance celebrations and prestigious platforms in India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the USA. Currently based in Brooklyn, New York, Damir is committed to spreading a deep understanding of Indian classical traditions through teaching in the USA. As an educator he has given lectures, demonstrations and workshops in both museums and schools throughout the NYC area. He strives to train the next generation of Bharatanatyam artists who share his passion and joy for the art, helping them develop the skills necessary to explore new possibilities within this art in today’s world.
Divyaa Unni (Bharatanatyam) is an internationally recognized dancer, teacher and choreographer. She started learning dance at the tender age of three from highly respected and diverse dance gurus Kalamadalam Gopinath and RLV Anil Kumar. She was crowned “Kalathilakam” in the annual state-wide youth festival conducted by the Government of Kerala in the year 1990 and 1992. Divyaa's dance was featured in Doordarshan at the age of 6 and subsequently she presented dance recitals of Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and folk dances every year from 1987 to 1994. Her potential in acting was realized due to her achievements in dance following which, at the age of 13, she was offered the leading role in a Malayalam movie in the year 1995. Subsequently, Divyaa, has acted as a female lead in more than 50 movies, including Tamil, Kannada and Telegu movies. Some of her recent and notable productions are “Tara” which was part of the Panchakanya project by Tat Tvam Asi sabha in Austin, Texas (2017); and “Vande Janani - celebrating motherhood” and Thousand names of a Goddess (2019). Divyaa is known to move the audience with her Abhinaya style of Dance, without losing the technical purity of Bharatanatyam.
Ganesh Vasudeva (Bharatanatyam) has been training in Bharatanatyam for more than 30 years. In the past few years Ganesh has choreographed and presented his own work to critical acclaim. More information can be found for Ganesh at www.ganeshvasudeva.com/. |
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About the Erasing Borders Dance Festival
The Erasing Borders Dance Festival of the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) invites dancers, dance companies and choreographers across the world to present works of artistic excellence sharing movement, heritage and inspiration from the Indian subcontinent. The festival is curated for the New York City public and can now be viewed globally in its virtual edition.
About the Indo-American Arts Council
The IAAC supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. The IAAC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. For information please visit www.iaac.us. |
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