The Indo American Arts Council held its signature event, two nights of the ‘Erasing Borders Dance Festival’ at the Kaye Playhouse, Hunter College. September 19 to 20.
It was two nights, nine performances, and a stage that moved from Bharatanatyam to Odissi without losing a beat, September 19 and 20, with tasteful and diverse portrayals of classical and contemporary manifestation of Indian dance forms.
The IAAC thanked those who came to fill Kaye Playhouse this year, noting the highlights and “some moments from the festival worth holding onto.”
Ganesh Vasudeva & Nitya Narasimhan
Bharatanatyam, duo
The evening opened on the precision of two dancers with a duet built on symmetry, then quietly breaking it.
Preeti Vasudevan
Contemporary, solo
A solo that pulled the vocabulary of classical form into open, contemporary space. Restraint used as its own kind of power.
Sreelakshmy Kallungal Govardhan
Kuchipudi, solo
Footwork and storytelling in the same breath. The audience’s first hush of the night arrived somewhere in the middle of this piece.
Radhe Jaggi
Bharatanatyam, solo
Day One’s closing solo, a performance so splendid and so exact that it commanded the applause it received.
Dr. Neena Prasad, with musicians
Mohiniyattam
The gentlest performance of the festival, and one of the most spellbinding. A masterclass in how much can be said by how one moves. With live musicians accompanying the piece, it was a rare treat for the audience.
Radha Varadan
Kathak, Solo
The gentlest performance of the festival, and one of the most spellbinding. A masterclass in how much can be said by how one moves. With live musicians accompanying the piece, it was a rare treat for the audience.
Aparna Sindhoor & Anil Natyaveda
Sindhoor Natya
Co-directors Aparna Sindhoor and Anil Natyaveda performed excerpts from their dance-theater repertoire, weaving Mysore-style Bharatanatyam with the sharp physical language of Kalarippayattu.
Arushi Mudgal Trio
Odissi
The festival’s closing piece. Sculptural lines, a rising tempo, and a final tableau that held the room silent before it broke into applause.
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