The Sanskrit blessing “Shubham Bhavatu” translates into “May Good Happen”. That certainly sums up the spirit of a Kathak dance and visual art event beginning at 5 p.m. on Sunday (November 23) at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam.
The Bandish Network will present Kathak storytellers Fiana Kawane, Puneet Singh, and Akshaya Surve in solo pieces as well as in collaborative choreographed works. The Dance As Blessing: ‘Shubham Bhavatu’ program will also include artworks by Bandish Network founder Nina Buddhdev, which will be projected on-screen during the Kathak performances.
Buddhdev, curator of the event, points out that “this performance weaves together the essence of rasa (emotion), kala (art), and bhava (expression) into a rich sensory journey.”
“I am deeply honored to share my artworks alongside the production, and to witness Puneet, Akshaya, and Fiana bring their Kathak styles to an emotive depth that propels the symbiotic energy of reciprocal creative flow rooted in our ancestral values,” Buddhdev state in a message to community members.
Dance As Blessing: ‘Shubham Bhavatu’ will begin with a curator’s pre-concert talk. Buddhdev plans to speak about each artist’s journey and link this event to the Bandish Network’s Cultural Heritage Arts Initiative. Also known by its acronym CHAI, Buddhdev launched this initiative in partnership with the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts.
Following an intermission with light refreshments, the 90-minute main stage performance will begin.
Kawane is an interdisciplinary scholar in addition to being a renowned Kathak artist and choreographer. She trained in Kathak at the Kadamb institute, which was founded by Kumudi Lakhia in Ahmedabad, India. Kawane premiered her full-length Nrityavandan: Ode to Dance in Tokyo.
Singh, a rising Kathak star, studied under Vidushi Mahua Shankar, who was a disciple of the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj. Shankar schooled Singh in the Lucknow Gharana.
Surve began her Kathak journey at the age of five. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Kathak at the Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal in Mumbai.
In addition to many appearances in Canada, Surve has performed Kathak across India, as well as in Arab and Southeast Asian countries. She founded Akshaya Kathak Academy in 2023.
The Bandish Network will present Dance As Blessing: ‘Shubham Bhavatu’ at 5:45 p.m. on Sunday (November 23). The pre-show reception begins at 5 p.m. at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way) in Coquitlam. Tickets are available through the website.
To connect with Nina Buddhdev via the Arts BC Insight Team, please visit: https://artsbc.org/insight-team. Listen to her B.C. Museums Week Live Podcast: Exploring Models of Cultural Engagement with Nina Buddhdev.
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