Mandala South Asian Performing Arts Announces Indian Dance Classes

Mandala South Asian Performing Arts has announced plans to expand its education programming to the western suburbs-at the Umang and Paragi Patel Center, which is planned for an opening in early 2021 at the National Indo-American Museum, 805 Main Street in Lombard.

Mandala will offer beginning and intermediate classical Indian dance classes, specifically training in Bharatanatyam, to students ages four through eight, taught by Mandala performing artist and Programs Manager Ashwaty Chennat.

Current plans include open houses in December and a virtual launch of classes in January 2021. Pending conditions surrounding the pandemic, Mandala hopes to begin in-person classes in spring 2021.

Lombard, located in Illinois's DuPage County, represents a return to Mandala Executive Artistic Director Pranita Nayar's roots. "Mandala Founding President Dr Umang Patel and Mrs. Paragi Patel encouraged the growth of Indian arts in DuPage County 30 years ago," Nayar said. "Their vision comes to fruition as they provide a new impetus to promote Indian arts in that region through the Umang and Paragi Patel Center, where Mandala will offer lessons. I am excited to return there with a fresh approach to teaching classical Indian dance."

For more information on classes, visit mandalaarts.org.

Ashwaty Chennat, a performing artist based in Chicago, began her Bharatanatyam training with Smt. Sudha Chandrasekhar in Detroit, Michigan and completed her Arangetram in 2008. She is a twice-awarded arts apprentice (Illinois Arts Council) and is undergoing in-depth study of Abhinaya, the expressive component of classical Indian dance, with Pranita Nayar. Chennat also has trained intensively in ballet, jazz, and tap and has learned South Asian forms including Sri Lankan dance, folk, and Mohiniyattam. She is trained in vocal music (Carnatic and Western Classical/Choral), drama, and improvisational theatre (Second City). Chennat has directed and choreographed large-scale productions in Bharatanatyam, contemporary, folk, and dance theatre throughout the Midwest, including at Chicago Symphony Center, the Art Institute of Chicago, McCormick Place (Chicago), the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (Chicago), and Hill Auditorium (Ann Arbor). Her current work explores collaborations with musicians, including jazz percussionist Alvin Cobb, Jr.; classical conductor Sameer Patel; and renowned international cellist Mauro Valli. She is a 3Arts 2020 Make A Wave Artist.

Mandala South Asian Performing Arts:

Mandala Arts, founded by Pranita Nayar, offers audiences an evocative exploration of the dance, theatre, and music forms of South Asia, from classical to contemporary. Performances and productions have a connection to ancient and classical traditions, ranging from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas, from Persia to Indonesia. These practices evolve into the lived experiences of diaspora artists. Mandala is dedicated to sharing cultural exchanges and experiences through its Academy, company performances (Mandala Ensemble), and outreach programs. Mandala's Ensemble artists bring their far-ranging aesthetics and vocabularies into the work. Mandala Arts has presented work at Chicago Symphony Center, Harris Theater, Logan Center for the Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Auditorium Theatre.

For more information about Mandala, visit mandalaarts.org.

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