The Dance Centre presents the Global Dance Connections series on Friday, October 4-Saturday, October 4-5 at 7 p.m., and Sunday October 6 at 2 p.m.

Post-show artist talkback: October 5

Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street, Vancouver

Tickets $37/$28 students, seniors + facility fee at www.thedancecentre.ca

Sky Dancers is a spellbinding new work directed by Anusha Fernando, Artistic Director of Shakti Dance, which brings together five outstanding Bharata Natyam artists with musicians and chanters. Using the framework of the Dakini (Sky Dancer), a Buddhist symbol of the dynamic play of energy in the universe, the choreography expresses both the dancers’ personal voices and the rich traditions and meditative practices that have emerged from India.

The work emerged from a year-long gathering, guided by Fernando, of some of BC’s finest Bharata Natyam dance artists: Arno Kamolika, Kiruthika Rathanaswami, Malavika Santhosh, Ashvini Sundaram and Sujit Vaidya. They will be joined on stage by musicians Alcvin Ryuzen Ramos (shakuhachi) and Curtis Andrews (percussion), and six meditators/chanters.

“My intention was to provide a non-hierarchical space to explore the core elements of the dance form: stillness, presence, energy, musicality, big questions, colourful stories and the freedom that emerges through form and ritual expression,” Fernando explains. The collaboratively-generated choreography also explores the common ground between her two primary practices of Bharata Natyam and Zazen (Zen Buddhist meditation). “It’s a way of manifesting my appreciation for the richness and wisdom contained in both of these traditions.”

These are five vignettes, portraying five Dakinis: Tree Leaf, Blissful Diamond, Wings of Breath, Corpse Raising and Lion Faced. Each piece is led by a different dancer, and they are threaded together by stillness and silence.

Anusha Fernando is a performer and teacher of Bharata Natyam and the Artistic Director of Shakti Dance in Vancouver. Her creative work explores the rich texts of the Indian tradition, relating her study of dance to her academic research: she holds an honours degree in Religious Studies from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Asian Studies from UBC. Her projects highlight the depth of Bharata Natyam’s traditional repertoire as well as its interdisciplinary potential. Productions include two Bharata Natyam duets, Five Faces and The Meeting Rivers, interdisciplinary projects like Gods, Demons and Yogis, which fused Bharata Natyam with north Indian classical music, storytelling and martial arts, and was made into a radio play by CBC, and a number of solo classical recitals, including Intimacy, Krishna Plays, Moods of Love and Transcendance.

SKY DANCERS

Facilitator, Director, Vision and Concept: Anusha Fernando

Dancers: Arno Kamolika, Sujit Vaidya, Kiruthika Rathanaswami, Malavika Santhosh, Ashvini Sundaram

Musicians: Alcvin Ryuzen Ramos (Shakuhachi) Curtis Andrews (Percussion)

Meditators/Chant: Samuel Romero, Mezi , Kelly Maclean, Kosho Janet Ault, Hilary Russell, Mahendra Kumar

Lighting Design: Chengyan Boon

Visual Artist: Sue Leibek

Costume Designer/Maker: Naiomi Chin

Sky Dancers is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council, and through The Dance Centre’s Partnerships Program.