Bijayini Satpathy to Perform TRIKĀYĀ at Asia Society in November
Satpathy choreographs and dances in TRIKĀYĀ, with music by Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy.
Asia Society will present two Gender in Motion events featuring acclaimed Odissi dancer Bijayini Satpathy on November 4 and 5 in New York City.
Satpathy will first join Cambodian classical dancer Sophiline Cheam-Shapiro for Meet the Artist | Gender in Motion: Bijayini Satpathy in Conversation on Wednesday, November 4.
Titled Embodying Identities in Asian Dance Forms, the talk and demonstration will explore how gender is embedded in the movement vocabularies of Asian classical dance traditions.
On Thursday, November 5, Satpathy will perform Trikāyā, a 60-minute solo Odissi work accompanied by live music.
Drawing from the ancient Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata, Trikāyā explores the story of Brihannala, the identity assumed by the archer Arjuna during the final year of his exile.
After being cursed by the celestial nymph Urvashi, Arjuna takes on a transgender form and becomes a dance instructor to Princess Uttara. The work moves through Arjuna’s preparation for battle, Urvashi’s curse following his rejection of her and Brihannala’s final dance before returning to the battlefield as Arjuna.
Through the narrative, Trikāyā examines transformation, embodiment and the fluidity of identity. Mythology becomes a means of considering identity, desire and vulnerability within the gendered movement vocabulary of Odissi.
The dance form was shaped by both feminine performance histories and male artistic lineages. Satpathy’s work considers how its inherited vocabulary can express identities beyond fixed binaries.
Satpathy conceived and choreographed Trikāyā and performs the solo. Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy composed the music.
Embodying Identities in Asian Dance Forms will take place Wednesday, November 4 from 6:30–8 p.m. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $20 for Asia Society members.
Trikāyā will be performed Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. The performance will run 60 minutes without an intermission. Tickets are $50 for the general public and $35 for members.
Students and seniors may use the code SENSTU for a $5 discount on either event. Both programs will take place at Asia Society, located at 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street in New York City. Tickets and additional information are available at AsiaSociety.org/NY.
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