New York, NY – Presented by the Indo-American Arts Council and Asia Society, the Erasing Borders: Festival of Indian Dance took place this past weekend (June 4th – 6th) at the Asia Society & Museum in NY. Although the festival is in its third year, this particular one marks the addition of IAAC as Aroon Shivdasani, Executive Director, excitedly expressed her enthusiasm for “a lot of wonderful programming coming up.” Along with Rachel Cooper, Director for Cultural Programs and Performing Arts, Asia Society, she expressed the “shared path” of the two hosting organizations and the hope that this would be the first of many such events.;

Each night of the festival began with dance performances followed by discussions with the artists, Friday’s panel having moderator Rajika Puri heading the dialogue. The evening began with Shipra Mehrotra dressed elegantly in bright pink amidst a stage lit with red, yellow, and orange hues – all colors denoting the vibrancy, vim and vigor of her performance. The coy looks she effortlessly exhibited showed her mastery of expression and her excellent form reflected upon the years of dedication to the craft.

Her next number took place on the bank of the Yamuna river where the “breeze is soft and cool,” the serene blue backdrop the perfect setting to depict her salute to Radha. When asked about her instructor, Smt. Aruna Mohanty, Shipra mentioned that rather than using a traditional aesthetic, which is stringently followed by most choreographers, Mohanty tries to utilize newer, more fluid movements. Typically portrayed as sad and dejected, Mohanty interprets that Radha is actually not sad at all but rather elated that she is able to live vicariously through Krishna’s other women, and this unique interpretation lends to a more unique type of dance. 

While we’re typically used to seeing only female artists performing Indian classical dance, the next number entitled ‘Meenakshi’ by Navtej Johar proved that males are certainly not barred from the art. The loud, rhythmic stomping of his feet beginning the performance exuded a very pronounced sense of masculinity that he followed up by infusing the dance with a more epicene quality. Johar went on to explain his avid interest for the music, form, and technique involved in the piece and simply stated, “I love what I do” – his love and passion becoming clearly evident through his talented display.

Parul Shah, Reena Shah, and Ammr Vandal – the three young dancers comprising the Parul Shah Dance Company – moved in unison for the next performance showcasing the kathak dance form. Though only an instrumental was playing in the background, their faces seemed to say it all. With anklets resounding in perfect concert, their spinning motions, almost reminiscent of the famous Whirling Dervishes, created quite a sight as their long skirts flowed about in the air leaving the audience mesmerized. Most surprising was the meticulousness of the piece in terms of the coordination as even the slightest flick of the wrist was done in harmonious accord. Parul Shah referenced this synergy by mentioning that the creation of their dances “just kind of happens in a holistic way.”

Next to perform was Cynthia Lee, who began her act perched at the foot of the stage before sweeping into the audience and continuing within the aisles. Her lingual feat of repeating phrases such as “Tha thik thiken thay” interspersed with English words served, in part, as homage to American poet Charles Bernstein, who utilized this method of homophonic translation. Along with perfect execution of her cleverly scripted gibberish, Lee also employed her training in Kathak as she incorporated elements of hip-hop and even karate into quite a unique display. When asked about her postmodern look at this facet of Indian dance, the young artist stated, “creating dialogues between different peoples and cultures” is what fascinates her as she grew up the child of immigrants – always being neither here nor there.

Last but certainly not least were the Wanted Ashiqz with Ashif Gazi beginning their medley of Bollywood songs as Hrithik Roshan, fittingly represented by tracks from Dhoom and Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, both compositions synonymous with the dancing superstar. Dressed in sparkling teal sequence vests, the rest of the performing members had their time in the limelight as they went on to represent shirtless Salman with Chunari Chunari, Queen of Bollywood Madhuri Dixit with Chane Ke Khet Mein, and the Big B Amitabh Bachchan with Khaike Paan Banaraswala.

Speaking on behalf of the troupe, Gazi reflected upon the piece as being a tribute to growing up with these Bollywood influences from as early as they can remember. “Some of us were born here, some of us came here later on, but we all have the common love of Indian and American dance,” Gazi mentioned. This was certainly showcased as they also performed to Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal/Billy Jean and jokingly to Beyoncé’s Single Ladies.

When asked about being male dancers and the stigma that may be associated with it from the South Asian community, Gazi mentioned, “some parents are very supportive, some not so much – but at the end of the day they love us.” The team ended with a few Bhangra songs before humbly bowing to the audience, their namaskars a testament to their humility, appreciation, and overall respect for Indian culture.

The festival continued Saturday with performances by Mythili Prakash, Mesma Belsare, Sheetal Gandhi, and Ailey II and Sunday with Anuradha Nehru, Ramya Ramnarayan, Prerana Deshpande, and Rachna Sarang. In addition, workshops and panels exploring different types of dances were also held over the weekend giving enthusiasts a great opportunity to learn more about different aspects of the art and an outlet to commune with fellow fans. For more information on upcoming events, please visit "http://" and "http://www.asiasociety.org" www.asiasociety.org.