Our annual Dancing the Gods festival of Indian Dance celebrates its 12th year, featuring two of India’s leading dancers. Each night begins with a slide presentation by Rajika Puri, festival curator and acclaimed danced storyteller.

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Doors: 6:30 PM | Lec Dem by Curator Rajika Puri: 7 PM | Performance:  8 PM 

Ailey Citigroup Theater – 405 W 55th St, Manhattan

Tickets: $35 / $45 / $55

Night Two: Praveen Kumar ‘Sakha’ (solo Bharatanatyam with live music)

Hailing from a family of artists, Praveen Kumar showed an inclination toward dance at a very young age. After beginning his studies with the eminent guru of Bangalore (Late) Smt. Narmada, he learned to appreciate the aesthetic depths of Bharatanatyam and decided to dedicate himself to the ancient dance form. He now trains under the celebrated Guru Prof.C.V.Chandrasekhar and runs the Chithkala School of Dance in Bangalore. In this solo recital, he will explore a man’s journey as a companion, an admirer, and a friend through various facets of life. The performance will be accompanied by musicians who will provide the exquisite feel of South Indian traditional music. 

Link to Night One: Sreelakshmy Govarhanan

About Festival Curator and Presenter Rajika Puri

Rajika Puri performed internationally in solo recitals of Bharatanatyam and Odissi for several years, before she was launched into western theatre by Julie Taymor in Lincoln Center Theater’s “The Transposed Heads”. The success of that role encouraged her to develop a form of danced storytelling she calls ‘Sutradhari Natyam’ in which she intersperses an English narration with excerpts from dances, spoken rhythms and chants as well as songs in Indian languages. In her full-length work: ‘Eleni of Sparta’ or ‘Helen of Troy’, she even sings in ancient Greek. Rajika has performed all over Latin America, Europe, Malaysia, the US and India; in New York, at the Asia Society and Ailey Theaters.