Erasing Borders Dance Festival 2023

Malavika Sarukkai: Intense, extraordinary and luminous are the qualities that distinguish Malavika Sarukkai‘s dancing. With her artistic mastery and technique she commands a presence on the world stage. She is acclaimed globally for her creative dance choreographies, which transport the viewer to the heart beat of dance, taking dance beyond specific geographies.

As a passionate path breaking dancer from India, she has contributed a significant and large body of work. Her collaborative productions have synergized through dialogues with artists from different media – poets, musicians, painters, sculptors and contemporary writers. These interactions bring to her choreographic interpretations the incandescent beauty of the classical language and the energized articulation of a contemporary mind. Malavika Sarukkai’s work is celebrated by critics, connoisseurs and the general public.

Malavika Sarukkai’s choreographies Sthiti Gati and Krishna Nee are included in the core repertoire of the Juilliard Creative Classroom Resources, New York. Recognized for her contribution as an artist with intellectual depth, Malavika Sarukkai was invited to deliver the prestigious Coomaraswamy Memorial Lecture in Mumbai.

Affirming the interrelatedness of the arts Malavika Sarukkai collaborated with eminent Art Historian Dr. B.N. Goswamy by creating a series of lecture performances linking Indian miniature painting and classical dance. Celebrated for her ‘out of the box’ creative thinking she was invited by Kartik Fine Arts to conceptualize and curate the Natya Darshan Dance Symposium 2014 and 2015.

A film entitled ‘The Unseen Sequence’ directed by Sumantra Ghoshal has been made celebrating her distinctive intellectual and creative approach to dance. The international premier of the film was in early 2014 at the prestigious Dance on Camera Festival, Lincoln Center, New York. This searching and personal film continues to receive rave reviews from critics, connoisseurs and public. Her exceptional artistry has also been filmed by the BBC, German TV and French Art Channel.

The National Center for The Performing Arts, Mumbai celebrated Malavika Sarukkai’s artistry over a period of ten days across the city of Mumbai in the event, “A Tribute To Excellence”.

Malavika Sarukkai has received many accolades. Padma Shri from the President of India in 2003, SNA Award 2002 from the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi, Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamilnadu in 1994, the Natya Kala Acharya award for 2017 from the Music Academy, Chennai and Hanumant Award 2017 from Chitrakutdham Trust, Gujarat , The Hindu Heritage Award 2018, Chennai and Natya Padmam Award for 2018 from Brahma Gana Sabha.

Niranjan Gokhale: Niranjan Gokhale completed his BA and MA programme in Theatre from University of Pune going on to specialize in Lighting Design at the University of Georgia. His lighting design includes versions of world-renowned plays - Death of a Salesman, Rashomon, Les Justes, Endgame, The Threepenny Opera, The Caucasian Chalk Circle among others. Western dance productions like The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Oz The Ballet. Dance dramas based on Indian classical dance styles - Nayani (Bharatanatyam), Hansika (an Odissi adaptation of Swan Lake), Sookshma (Odissi). Niranjan is working as a Light Designer with Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, a Contemporary Dance Company, Bangalore from 2011. He has toured across India, multiple countries abroad with different dance, and theatrical productions.

Sai Shravanam: A skilled musician, sound designer, music producer and entrepreneur, Sai Shravanam has created a benchmark quality in all of his endeavors with a single minded devotion towards classical and folk music of India. Uniquely recognized as a one of the few classically trained sound designers in the country, Sai Shravanam has developed his talents through years of experience in recording music, bringing musicians the masterful chemistry necessary to produce their best. With his constant thirst for music and technology, he established a concrete bridge in Indian classical music between artistes and modern technology without distorting the sensitivity of the art form or the comfort of the artistes. He has successfully completed over 18 years of professional music production with all the premier artistes of India, international artistes and the most prestigious music labels around the world. He initiated a startup in the year 2007, Resound India®.

Jiva Performing Arts was created in 2007 by the celebrated artistic couple, Bharatanatyam dancer/choreographer, Sonali Skandan and Carnatic musician/composer, Bala Skandan. Jiva’s mission is to develop and present new voices in the classical arts of India and increase appreciation and accessibility of these timeless arts for all communities.

Jiva preserves artistic legacies as well as creates new works that affirm the relevance, vitality, and freshness of the Indian classical arts.  The organization includes a professional, all-female dance company, Jiva Dance, Akshara Music Ensemble, and a School that provides comprehensive training from beginner through professional levels in Bharatanatyam, Mridangam and Carnatic Violin.

Search Within
For centuries, ancient texts and great sages have expressed that divine spirit exists in sentient and non-sentient beings. As we expand our knowledge and realize the beauty of form - the inherent rhythms of nature resonating around us - our minds turn inwards experiencing bliss. Inspired by the interconnectedness of this macrocosm, this Bharatanatyam duet blends traditional adavus with abstract new movements, interpolating rhythmic passages with intentional moments of silence... telling the story of a soul’s search within.

Hema Rajagopalan  is the Founder and Artistic Director of Natya Dance Theatre, an organization that specializes in performing and teaching Bharatanatyam. Hema is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer of international repute, committed to preserving Bharatanatyam in its full integrity, developing the art form in new directions and bringing it to diverse audiences. Hema has choreographed well over fifty evening-length productions that have toured to leading national and international venues. In 2021, she was awarded the highly acclaimed Dance Legacy Award, by See Chicago Dance; and Natya Dance Theatre received the designation as one of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures. As a dancer, Hema has performed to critical acclaim since her debut at the youthful age of seven. And hundreds of students have trained under her since the establishment of the Natya Academy in 1974.

Prarthana Prashanth has been training in Bharatanatyam under Smt. Hema Rajagopalan for 15 years. She is a 2022 National YoungArts Awardee, and performed in Chennai's Margazhi Festival. She is also a teacher in Natya's public school arts residencies.

Amuktha Samudrala has been training with Smt. Hema Rajagopalan & Krithika Rajagopalan for 16 years. In 2021, she was a National YoungArts Awardee. Amuktha is a classroom teacher in the Natya Academy.

Vazhi - On Different Paths. 
Exploring Shoorpanaka, Vibhishana, and Kumbakarna - The Siblings of Ravana
Explorations of the South Asian epic, the Ramayana, often have expanded on the character arcs of Rama, Ravana, Sita, Hanuman, and other beloved characters. However, some of the most important catalysts of the Ramayana epic are the siblings of Ravana: Shoorpanaka, Vibhishana, and Kumbakarna. We explore the lives of these 3 siblings in the context of one another, as a family, as a set of children in the shadow of Ravana, as three individuals struggling not only over their own lives, but in their shared moments and impact on one another. Shoorpanaka’s demands of justice after her trauma are never validated by her family, while Vibhishana struggles over the morality of each of these actions and who to support.

Kala - Time
Concept & Choreography | Malavika Sarukkai

Music Production & Sound Design | Sai Shravanam
Technical Director & Light Design | Niranjan Gokhale

"In order to understand the dance - one must be still, And in order to truly understand stillness - one must dance." Rumi, 13th Century CE

Vivarta Arts, a NYC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, promotes Indian classical dance and music through innovative productions. Our aim is to democratize these art forms while honoring their traditions. Artistic Director Preya Patel, a Kathak dancer mentored by Gurus Jamuna Mitcham and Vaishali Trivedi, brings rich experience. She graduated in 2006 with a live orchestra performance and has since showcased her talents across the US, Canada, and India.

विरोधाभास | Virodhābhāsa: (Investigating the Profound Nature of Paradox)
“Form is Emptiness. Emptiness is Form,” says the Buddhist Heart Sutra speaking of the paradox that lies at the core of all phenomena. Indeed, the world we inhabit is itself a paradox for it is both real and an appearance: Maya. And so, to better appreciate this world, one needs to look more deeply at what seems like opposites or contradictions.

A personal tragedy that held within it both sadness and peace led the me to consider more deeply this idea of Paradox. As I lived through those difficult days, my thinking about the paradox began to transform and found expression in dance.

This work is my ongoing attempt to investigate the profound nature of Paradox. The production commissioned by Mandala Arts and Culture, Vancouver, Canada, was premiered as a Dance film in partnership with The Dance Centre, Vancouver, in November 2022.

Navia Natarajan: A whirling vortex of energy and grace, accomplished Bharathanatyam dancer, Navia Natarajan, has a luminous presence on stage. She stays true to the rigors of classical technique, but injects her dancing with a creativity and vision that is uniquely her. Approaching her art with a questioning and experimental spirit, she thinks about the dance with a modern mind, energizing the beauty and elegance of its classical language with the vitality and vibrancy of contemporary thought and innovation.IShe had her arengetram at the age of 10, under Smt. Radhika Kalyan. Later she was trained under Guru Smt. Padmini Ramachandran Bangalore. She is further honing her skill with Guru Sir A.Lakshmanaswamy [Artistic Director -"Nrithyalakshana”, Chennai] and Abhinaya Exponent Guru Smt Bragha.G.Bessel.Some of her noteworthy performances include The Dance festival at The Music Academy , Chennai, Festival by Sangeet Natak Akademi, Prastaar Festival hosted by Ghandharava Mahavidyalaya New Delhi, NCPA Mumbai, IIC and India Habitat , Delhi, Bangalore International Arts Festival, Kinkini Festival, Bangalore,Nehru Center London, Indian Fine arts Academy, San Digo, Sangam Arts, Sanjose, Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival,Drive east , NY , Counterpulse, SFO, USA, to name a few.

Shringarik Lavani - Love through the art of Lavani 
Shringarik Lavani takes a traditional Indian folk style from the state of Maharashtra into a wonderful harmony of music, poetry, rhythm, and love. Enjoy the beats of the Dholak matched with the sound of ghungroo as you are serenaded in songs and poems of love. Dressed in Nauvari sarees (9 yard saree), Lavani will entice you back to the rule of Shivaji Maharaj. Through Baithakichi Lavani (sitting dance) and Tamasha (grand show), listen to her regale stories of lovers past, in joy and sadness.

Shivani Badgi - Choreographer and Lead Dancer
Shivani Badgi is an Indian American dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She began her training at age five under Guru Padma Khanna, senior disciple of Nataraj Gopi Krishnaji, in Kathak, Lavani, and Bollywood. She learned Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary at Joffrey Ballet School, Mason Gross School of Arts, and Broadway Dance Center during her college years. Her career continued with performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Consulate General of India, United Nations, Theater for the New City, Longwood Gardens, and soon at Florida’s Disney World. She is now the Artistic Director/Founder of The Gurukul Performing Arts in NJ and NYC.

Raashi Desai - Dancer
Raashi Desai is a NYC based filmmaker and photographer with expertise in storytelling, particularly for minority communities, her work has made its way to Amazon Prime, Jacksonville Dance Festival, Poppn Magazine and more. She is also a folk Indian dancer and has taught at Moksha Arts for the past 10 years. Her students have performed all over the US and abroad. Raashi's passion for girl power, music, and storytelling has led her on a journey to a variety of powerful content.

Revati Mahurkar - Dancer
Revati Mahurkar is a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher trained in Kathak, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Street Jazz, and Heels dancer. She has performed at exciting venues all over NYC and in select US cities. She also appeared in an episode of Aapka Colors’ reality TV show Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan judged by Karan Johar, Parineeti Chopra, and Mithun Chakroborty. Aside from performing, Revati loves teaching her weekly Bollywood on Heels class at Sass Class NYC. Revati will be completing her degree from Columbia University in Psychology, and hopes to pursue her passion for the arts full time upon graduating. 

Pooja Sankhe - Dancer
Pooja Sankhe is a trained dancer who practices various dance styles, such as Kathak, Bollywood, contemporary and Indian folk dance. Currently, she is dedicated to learning Indian classical dance, Kathak, and is in the pre-diploma stage of her training. Dancing has been a significant part of Pooja's life since her early years. She was teaching and performing, including captivating performances in Bollywood stage shows in India. Pooja has also showcased her skills in New York, where she participated in the dance-theatre piece 'We Sinful Women' and the American Dance Guild Festival in 2019.

Pramoda Bapatla - Dancer
Pramoda Bapatla has trained in Kuchipudi since she was 4 years old. She has performed and competed at various events around the country, and even travelled to California and India to participate in the Kuchipudi Dance Convention for the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2014 she received her diploma upon the completion of her Kuchipudi Rangapravesam and then taught Bollywood dance classes in high school and college. In college, she danced with Brandeis Bhangra and Boston University Bhangra, and became the captain of her team. Now, she lives in New York City and is expanding on her dance skills.

Vaibu Mohan - Vocals
Vaibu Mohan is a multi-faceted, Indian-American artist from Phoenix, AZ. Vaibu completed her Arangetram (solo dance debut) in 2014 and began performing as a solo artist and a singer. Vaibu earned her BM in musical theatre performance with a minor in public service and public policy from Arizona State university. While she was there, she went to the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center for writing and producing. She is currently receiving her MFA from the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. She is working on a musical titled Sati with her collaborator Zach Catron

Neil Khare - Percussion (Dholki)
Neil Khare started learning tabla at the age of 4 from his father, Shri Surakshya Deshpande, and currently learns from Shri Amod Dandawate. He has accompanied artists such as Srimati Aarti Anklikar during her workshop presentation, has played on a New York TV Channel, and has received many awards in the Instrumental solo category. He is currently a senior studying Finance and Computer Science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Aathaven Tharmarajah - Male Lead
Aathaven Tharmarajah is a Tamil-American actor/singer/dancer based in NYC and is ecstatic to be performing in Shringarik Lavani! Recent theatre credits include the North American tour of Legally Blonde; Monsoon Wedding (St. Ann's Warehouse); The Waiting (Live & In Color); Hello, Dolly!, Elf the Musical (Pioneer Theatre Company); Freaky Friday, and the U.S. premiere of Strictly Ballroom the Musical (Hale Centre Theatre). Aathaven recently graduated from the University of Utah and is always enthusiastic about uplifting South Asian voices and contributing to South Asian art whenever he can.

Anhad – Limitless love

There's an old saying we all know: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But the old saying is perhaps not true. How can one step..? without the intention of moving forward? Every journey thus begins with a desire. What exactly does She desire? Wealth, fame, reputation? These mean nothing to Her. Her wish is to follow the calling of a voice within, a voice that until now she could not hear; a voice that whispers of the Divine and how to discover it, of union with The One and how to experience it. Love, the voice says -total and pure love is the only path to divine power. For now, love of that magnitude is impossible for Her to imagine, but in Her heart, she knows someday she’ll find a way to attain it.

Anhad - Limitless love is her desire, and with that, she takes her first step forward into a journey new and unknown. Through poems of Rumi, mysticism of Su? traditions along with classical Indian dance (Kathak), the artists explore this soul- searching journey that knows no boundaries. The music and choreography are conceptualized keeping in mind the traditions of Kathak and Sufism. This is only an excerpt from the original full length 50 min production.

Conceptualization – Nidhika & Sonali Loomba
Choreography – Sonali Loomba
Original soundscape – Rushi Vakil

Sonali Loomba completed her post graduate in Human Resource Management from India and worked at a multinational company there for over 6 years before she decided to quite and completely dedicate her self to Kathak as full time performing artist. She started learning Kathak in 2006 under the guidance of Gurus (teachers) Hari and Chethana from Bangalore, India. She believes Indian Classical Dance is like an ocean which is limitless. The deeper you dive in the more beauty you see of the form. It can take up-to several years to call oneself a master of this art form. She visits India often to advance in her studies of Kathak under her Gurus. Sonali has performed at multiple leading festivals in the states as well as international. Sonali is also the recipient of several UTAH state art grants which are a driving force in her mission to spread the knowledge of this art form, beyond.

Nidhika Loomba is a Virginia (USA) based Kathak dancer who has been trained by the well-acclaimed Kathak dance couple, Sri Hari and Smt. Chethana Hari, the directors of Noopur Performing Art Center, Bangalore, India. Nidhika started her training in 2006 and has been learning from her Guru’s ever since. She has also regularly attended workshops conducted by stalwarts such as Pt. Sri. Rajendra Gangani, Pandita Smt. Maneesha Sathe and Smt. Shambhavi Dandekar. In 2009, Nidhika was selected to perform for the ICCR’s cultural exchange festival in Sri Lanka. Since then, she has been traveling extensively across the globe as a lead performing artist of her Guru- Sri Hari and Smt Chethana’s ensemble and has performed extensively at various prestigious dance festivals, concerts, lecture demonstrations and corporate shows. She has many solo performances to her credit in India, US and Netherlands. Nidhika was also selected to give a talk on Kathak at a TEDx conference in Boston in 2016, her talk was titled “Falling in Love With Kathak”. With her rigorous training and exposure to Kathak, she wishes to delve deeper into its nuances and aims to present its works that communicate beyond cultures and languages.

Project Convergence is a dance company that is home to the union of Bharatanatyam and Tap Dance. The purpose of the company is to create a polyrhythm of cultures, thereby showing that two cultures can be united without having to erase the distinct identity of either. Conceived in 2019 by Vikas Arun and Ramita Ravi, and co-directed by Apoorva Natarajan, the vocabulary draws on their unusually extensive training in both classic and modern Indian and Western dance.

The company is the first non-western dance company to land a partnership with dancewear giant Capezio, and is proud to the first company in residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation dedicating to uniting tap dance with a non-western rhythmic art. The company’s credits included Lincoln Center, WNYC (New York Public Radio), Buzzfeed, Spotify, and private performances for esteemed guests such as the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of India. The company has been featured in press across three continents and is proud to share their experiment with audiences across the world.