Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Sampradaya Dance Creations proudly presents nirantara - beyond space and time, a compelling contemporary new work for six dancers and four musicians choreographed by legendary dance artist and Sampradaya Artistic Director, Lata Pada. This visually and aurally powerful bharatanatyam-based world premiere explores worlds known and unknown and runs May 21-23 at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre as part of NextSteps.
Ms Pada, a pioneer at the forefront of contemporary South-Asian dance in Canada, pushes boundaries in this cutting-edge piece that showcases three special guest dancers from India along with three stunning Toronto dancers.
The dancers perform to live music composed and performed by two of India's award-winning and transformative musicians: the duo of classical pianist/composer Anil Srinivasan and Carnatic vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan. The presence of live piano music in a bharatanatyam-based work is particularly innovative, and Srinivasan and Gurucharan have been making waves in India for their novel approach to musical forms for a new direction in global music. They will be joined by two Toronto musicians: acclaimed sarangi artist Aruna Narayan Kalle and talented percussionist S. Surenthar.
Lata Pada notes: "When I first heard a concert by pianist Anil Srinivasan and Carnatic vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan in Chennai two years ago, my two worlds came together. Why did I feel I was home? East and West intertwined in this experience for me - the evocative swaras of Gurucharan's raga and the dulcet notes of Anil's piano playing teased each other. We met after the performance and the seeds of a collaboration were sown right there in the busy streets of Chennai.
The two have recorded numerous albums together and were featured performers for the first-ever TED conference held in India, in Mysore (2009). Using the classical piano as a frame around the free-flowing classical South Indian voice, the duo has created a significant following; and their work has traveled the world.
For a quarter century, 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. Sampradaya's creative works bridge the continuum of traditional and contemporary dance and reflect the diversity of a modern world.Videos