Indo-American Arts Council proudly presents the Erasing Borders Dance Festival from September 20-27, 2020 at 8:30pm EST each day on Facebook Live at facebook.com/iaac.us. For the twelfth year of the Erasing Borders Dance Festival, IAAC has expanded the event. For the first time, eleven artists trained in Indian dance forms from across the world will be brought together in a virtual borderless festival. Details are available at iaac.us/erasing-borders-dance-festival-2020/.

Deepsikha Chatterjee, Festival Director stated, “Moving to a virtual format has its own artistic challenges, but we believe it opened up many possibilities. Our artists are from across the world, representing many of India’s dance forms. Bringing them together on an online platform was not only the most responsible and exciting way of showcasing their work but also displaying the virtuosity of diversity.”

Sunday, September 20, 2020
Shambhu Nath Karmakar/Ashpara Care Club (Purulia Chhau)

Monday, September 21, 2020
Neha Mondal Chakravarty (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam)
Krishnakshi Kashyap (Sattriya)

Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Ganesh Vasudeva (Bharatanatyam)

Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Divyaa Unni (Bharatanatyam)
Arun Mathai (Bharatanatyam)

Thursday, September 24, 2020
Sandhya Raju (Kuchipudi)

Friday, September 25, 2020
Damir Tasmagambetov (Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam)
Barkha Patel (Contemporary Kathak)

Saturday, September 26, 2020
Mesma Belsaré (Shilpa Natana)

Sunday, September 27, 2020
Vishwakiran Nambi (Contemporary)
Workshops by Nahid Siddiqui (Sufi Kathak)

The Festival dancers, turned away from traditional performance spaces, take the time to reflect, activate, and energize through other forms of healing. Mesma Belsaré seeks inspiration in the fluid lines of India’s ancient architecture while Singapore-based Neha Mondal Chakravarty meditates on a tiny seed sprouting into the fullness of womanhood in Bharatanatyam. Vishwakiran Nambi collects his contemporary group in the urbanscape of Bengalaru to use their bodies in deeply felt and original ways. Arun Mathai draws power and energy from The Great God Shiva against the Black Lives protests in US for his Bharatanatyam performance. New Yorker Damir Tasmagambetov from Kazakhstan, trained in Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam in India bridges many cultures, and concludes his creative presentation through a prayer for Shanti or peace. US based Kathak dancer Barkha Patel is nourished by her week-long walk in Gujarat in prayers for Goddess Bahuchara Maa, a deity for the transgender community in India. Divyaa Unni in Bharatanatyam depicts the unusually calm Goddess Kalika, who appears with neem leaves and holy water this one time to bring balance and tranquility back. Kuchipudi dancer Sandhya Raju’s solo presents Lord Krishna, the one who lifted the Govardhan mountain to provide much needed shelter. Her Tarangam dance piece on a brass plate, built through years of training provides much needed charm. Ganesh Vasudeva’s Bharatanatyam depicts the Ganga River flowing down from the icy Himalayas, believed to be Lord Shiva’s locks of hair, into nourishing rivers and streams. Assam’s Sattriya dancer and social entrepreneur Krishnakshi Kashyap reflect on the centuries old meditative performances of the region while Purulia Chhau artist Shambhu Nath Karmakar marches with his ensemble in the traditional acrobatic martial art form to show Goddess Durga vanquishing Mahishasur, the bull demon to restore peace and prosperity.