Dances of India, one of the oldest classical Indian dance groups in the U.S., will celebrate its .
鈥淭his production, this year especially, is very humorous. We wanted to have fun for our 45th annual performance,鈥� said Dances of India President Nartana Premachandra.
The show will feature traditional dances, an original theatrical production about the myths of the Ganges River and Claudio Monteverdi's 鈥淟amento della Ninfa鈥� opera translated through the expressions of classical Indian dance.
鈥溾�楾he Lament of the Nymph鈥� works so well in Indian dance because in Indian Hindu mythology, there are nymphs, who are called 鈥榓psaras,鈥� and these are celestial dancers,鈥� Premachandra said. 鈥淭hese women always fall in love with earthly men and then, something happens, they can't be with them, and they get mad and they curse them.
鈥淛ust like the Greek gods are made human by the stories of jealousy and rivalry,鈥� Premachandra added, 鈥渨e bring some of that into the show in a very humorous way.鈥�
Premachandra and Dances of India Co-Director Theckla Mehta joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss this year鈥檚 performance and the Hindu mythology that inspires their dances.
Premachandra鈥檚 dad founded Dances of India in St. Louis in 1977.
鈥淗e was one of the first, I think, two Indians to actually come to St. Louis,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I learned about my culture, really, from my parents and our dance company.鈥�
Now, she said, there is more knowledge of Indian culture in the St. Louis region, though there are still misconceptions about classical Indian dance.
鈥淢any people may think what we do is Bollywood, but it's not at all 鈥� the classical art form is very different,鈥� Premachandra said. 鈥淭here are many different kinds of dance in India, several classical forms, and then several folk forms. India is replete with dance.鈥�
Classical Indian dance, she said, is very rhythmic and comprises complex footwork and dozens of intricate hand movements and facial expressions.
鈥淚 think what distinguishes classical Indian dance from many other styles of dance in the world is this depth of storytelling. We use the hands and the eyes to tell all kinds of stories from ancient legends to even contemporary tales,鈥� she said.
Over the decades, Dances of India has collaborated with many dance troupes, including St. Louis Ballet, flamenco companies and Dance Co. of St. Charles. St. Louis-based West African Dance Company, Afriky Lolo, will perform with Dances of India this weekend.
鈥淲hen my dad came [to St. Louis], because there were so few Indians, he very much wanted to connect to all the St. Louis community. That's why we're very determined to, as far as possible, make our pieces very accessible to all kinds of audiences 鈥� because everyone can get something from it.鈥�
Related Event
What:
When: Nov. 11-13
Where: Skip Viragh Center for the Arts (Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63131)
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by , , and . is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
