Sampradaya Sets 25th Anniversary Season

Sampradaya announced its 25th anniversary season today at a special launch event at its Sampradaya Theatre in Mississauga featuring founder and Artistic Director Lata Pada who welcomed the audience along with Dr. Lalitha Shankar, Sampradaya Dance Creations Board Chair and Savita Junnarkar, Sampradaya Dance Academy Board Member.

Guest speakers included Anu Vittal, Executive Director of the Mississauga Arts Council and Dinesh Sachdev, Founder/Executive Director of FILMI Toronto. As well, a 25th anniversary congratulatory video greeting was shown from acclaimed actor Kabir Bedi, who starred in Sampradaya's production of TAJ at Luminato in 2011 and again throughout its Canadian tour in 2013.

For a quarter century, accomplished dancer and choreographer Lata Pada has steered professional dance company Sampradaya Dance Creations - alongside Sampradaya Dance Academy - to reimagine and nurture the rich tradition of bharatanatyam, a classical South Asian dance form. In June of 2012, Sampradaya expanded its studio space in Mississauga to include a theatre, a significant milestone for the company, that has become a community hub for South Asian arts.

For its twenty-fifth anniversary season, Sampradaya Dance Creations announced a year packed with several unique events, two of which take place during South Asian Heritage Month in May, including its mainstage season event at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre, nirantara - beyond space and time. Other highlights include a performance honouring India's Prime Minister in April at Ricoh Coliseum; the third annual Children's Film Festival at Sampradaya Theatre in partnership with FILMI in May; Beyond Borders, a three-day national dance symposium in July in Mississauga; planning for a tour of nirantara to India for next season and more. More events are outlined below.

In conjunction with Sampradaya Dance Creations, Sampradaya Dance Academy also celebrates its 25th anniversary. Sampradaya proudly announced that the Academy is in the process of creating an agreement with York University's Dance Program for the 2016-2017 academic year that will see graduates from Sampradaya's Professional Training in bharatanatyam program access credits towards their undergraduate degree in the dance program at York. This is an exciting and unprecedented development for South Asian dance in Canada. Sampradaya Dance Academy also presents its annual student recital One World, Our World on June 14 at Lester B. Pearson Theatre in Brampton.

Sampradaya's creative works bridge the vibrant continuum of traditional and contemporary dance. Successfully forging a far-reaching path of artistic excellence, the company is recognized for its inter-cultural collaborations and productions that reflect the diversity of a contemporary world. For tickets and information for all events, visit www.sampradaya.ca

More details and highlights for the 25th Anniversary Season are outlined below.

SAMPRADAYA DANCE CREATIONS - 25th Anniversary Season:

April 15 - Sampradaya Dance Creations has been invited to perform in a showcase honouring the visit of India's Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi, at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.

April 17 - Sampradaya's Board of Directors in partnership with An Affair With Art hosts Kreative Kaleidoscopes, an elegant evening of creativity, cocktails and canapés. This fundraising event for Sampradaya Dance Creations' 25th anniversary year takes place at 7pm at Sampradaya Theatre and features a wide-ranging collection of contemporary works from such artists as Dr. Lalitha Shankar, M.F. Husain, Jamini Roy, Jatin Das, Thota Vaikuntham and S.H. Raza on offer.

May 3 - In partnership with FILMI, Sampradaya presents the Children's Film Festival at Sampradaya Theatre - the third annual presentation of this family-friendly festival dedicated to showcasing excellence in South Asian films and artists. The festival curates a series of short films, from animations to documentaries, that speak to children and youth across all cultures and ages.

May 21-23 - For its mainstage 25th anniversary event, Sampradaya presents nirantara - beyond space and time at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre. Visually and aurally compelling, Lata Pada's bharatanatyam-based work explores worlds known and unknown, where space and time are interwoven into a continuum, perpetual and elusive. nirantara features a stunning dance ensemble performing to live music composed and performed by the acclaimed versatile pianist Anil Srinivasan and the superbly talented Carnatic vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan (both from India) along with Aruna Narayan Kalle, the reputable Toronto-based sarangi artist.

July 24-26 - Sampradaya presents a three-day national dance symposium, Beyond Borders, at Sampradaya Theatre and Meadowvale Theatre in Mississauga, ON. The symposium will focus on new opportunities for a new generation of artists working in South Asian dance across Canada. The event includes panel sessions, workshops and dancefilm screenings as well as a showcase featuring emerging and mid-career artists and a performance by international soloist Malavika Sarukkai (India). This landmark event also honours Lata Pada's mentor and teacher, Guru K. Kalyanasundaram.

November - Sampradaya presents Horizon Series, a performance series for talented emerging artists trained in various classical South Asian artforms.at Sampradaya Theatre. Dates and artists TBC.

December 2015 - January 2016 - A significant highlight of its 25th Anniversary, Sampradaya is planning to tour nirantara - beyond space and time to five cities in India.

In conjunction with Sampradaya Dance Creations, Sampradaya Dance Academy also celebrates its 25th anniversary. Under the direction of Lata Pada, the Sampradaya Dance Academy is a premiere dance training institution recognized internationally for its excellence in bharatanatyam training.

During its 25th anniversary year, Sampradaya Dance Academy significantly adds to the esteem in which it is held with an unprecedented milestone for South Asian dance in Canada. The Academy is entering the process of creating an Articulated Agreement with York University's Dance Program which will be launched in the 2016-2017 academic year. This agreement will acknowledge the Professional Training in bharatanatyam and graduates from our program will access credits towards their Undergraduate Degree in Dance at York.This is truly a validation of Sampradaya Dance Academy's excellence in its bharatanatyam training. Sampradaya Dance Academy will also present its annual recital One World, Our World on June 14 at Lester B. Pearson Theatre in Brampton.

For tickets and information for all events, visit www.sampradaya.ca.