Abhinaya Dance Company Premieres APOORVA KATHA this November

Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose, the Bay Area's premier South Indian classical dance company, announces their fall production, APOORVA KATHA, Remarkable Tales directed and choreographed by Mythili Kumar and featuring the Abhinaya Dance Company of San José, accompanied by live music by master musicians on Saturday, November 11 at 7pm & Sunday, November 12 at 4pm.

For its Fall 2017 production, Abhinaya presents Apoorva Katha, premiering the story and struggles of Cesar Chavez in the classical Bharatanatyam idiom. This will be preceded by traditional dramatic pieces depicting varied stories from Indian mythology and literature.

In May 1995 to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Abhinaya presented Gandhi - the Mahatma. In this show, Mythili Kumar presented a brief solo work based upon Cesar Chavez's farm worker strikes which had been inspired by Gandhi's non-violent civil resistance movement. Building upon this work, the company presents vivid portrayals of Cesar Chavez's life, his struggles as a hardworking farm worker, his awareness of Gandhi's non-violent principles and his leadership through forming the United Farm workers Union fighting for the rights of the farm workers.

"It is ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves."... Cesar Chavez

"Perhaps we can bring the day when children will learn from their earliest days that being fully man and fully woman means to give one's life to the liberation of the brother who suffers. It is up to each one of us. It won't happen unless we decide to use our lives to show the way." ... Cesar Chavez

"In the midst of darkness, light persists

In the midst of despair, hope persists,

In the midst of death, life persists"....Mahatma Gandhi

Abhinaya Dance Company: Anjana Dasu, Sindhu Natarajan, Lakshmi Venkatesan, Pooja Sohoni, Seetha Venkatadri, Pooja Akella, Snekha Senthilkumar, Shreya Ganapathy, Nyna Velamuri, Vennela Chukka, Simran Kattaura, & Anagha Guliam

Choreography: Mythili Kumar and Rasika Kumar

Musicians: Asha Ramesh (vocalist and composer), Malavika Kumar (nattuvangam), N. Narayan (mridangam and kanjira percussion); Shanthi Narayan (violin); Ravi Gutala (tabla), Ashwin Krishnakumar (flute), Mariachi Guitar Duo

Mythili Kumar, Artistic Director & Choreographer

An accomplished artist, Mythili Kumar performed extensively in India before moving to the U.S. in 1978. Her artistic ability and the high quality of her dance choreography have been recognized in the U.S where she has been awarded several Choreographer's Fellowships from the NEA. Mythili Kumar has taught at Stanford University and San Jose State University, and currently teaches a fall semester course at University of California at Santa Cruz. She was honored by World Arts West with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and received a "Sustained Achievement Award" by the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award committee in, 2011.

About Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose

Artistic Director Mythili Kumar founded the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose in 1980. Abhinaya has grown to be a leading multi-cultural organization in the South Bay, known both for its adherence to traditional South Indian classical dance as well as its innovative multi-cultural collaborations. Since 1986, Abhinaya has staged several full-length dance dramas choreographed by Mythili Kumar. Mythili Kumar's artistic excellence has been recognized by several NEA Choreographer Fellowships. She was honored by World Arts West with a Lifetime Achievement Award (2010) and by a "Sustained Achievement Award" from the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award committee (2011).

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