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Rajika Puri and Dancers
TAPASYA: Ascetic Power and Tales of the Ganges
Production Team
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Rajika Puri (artistic director, choreographer)
trained in Bharatanatyam and Odissi, is best known for her focus on the musical and storytelling components of Indian dance-theatre. After initial experiments with flamenco, Bach, and even American song (Union/Severed - Asia Society), she now conceives of ‘new’ Indian dance music and group choreography within a contemporary aesthetic (Conversations with Shiva -Joyce SoHo). She develops danced stories in which she accompanies herself with traditional chants and songs, and narrates an English text (Devi-Malika -Rubin Museum of Art, Duke on 42nd). An actor on stage and screen, Rajika also writes on the performing arts. www.rajikapuri.com |
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Greg Emetaz (director, visual design)
is a writer-director based in New York City. Currently he is completing work on the feature documentary Fay Lindsay-Jones Story as well as creating web-docs for Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ and New York City Opera’s upcoming seasons. Recent work includes: video introductions for City Opera’s 07-09 Vox Showcases, projections for Il Trovatore at Minnesota Opera, bio-documentaries for the NEA Opera Honors and videos for the New York Public Library’s Lions event. Visit his media factory at www.MINORapocalypse.com |
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Anil Srinivasan (Music Director, Composer)
is a classical pianist who trained both in India and the United States. He has recorded and performed with many eminent musicians including U Srinivas, John McLaughlin, Daniel Tetlow, Aruna Sairam and Chitravina Ravikiran among others. Madhirakshi, his maiden conceptual effort using the Carnatic voice with the classical piano and recorded with Sikkil Gurucharan had a tremendous impact in the classical music world and resulted in four highly acclaimed albums. Anil’s compositions for dance have seen him collaborate with eminent artists such as Rajika Puri, Anita Ratnam and Ramli Ibrahim. www.anilsrinivasan.com |
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S. Sridhar (guest choreographer, jewellery and props design)
was trained in Indian traditional art forms from Tamil Nadu, India, including Bharatanatyam. In 1983 he started working with Chandralekha, the legendary dancer and choreographer, and performed in all her productions - in India and at major international dance festivals around the world. He has shared the stage with many of the world’s most famous artists like Pina Bausch and Susanne Linke, and has been an ambassador for the Indian arts. Sridhar is also well versed in Rangoli painting, modern and post-modern dance, acting, choreography, stage lighting, theatre and stage technique. www.sridharshanmugam.org |
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Nirali Shastri (assistant choreographer)
holds Bachelor’s degree in Bharatnatyam. For two years she was an assistant teacher at Nrityakala, The Canadian Academy of Indian Dance and a dancer with Menaka Thakkar Dance Company in Toronto. In 2004, Nirali moved to New York and enrolled in the ISVP Program at Broadway Dance Center where she studied tap and theatre. She is a dancer and choreographer at World Dance Theatre where she recently performed the role of Cinderella in their production, Cinderella. She also teaches dance and Yoga with Wingspan Arts and Education in Dance. |
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Prachi Dalal (company manager)
Kathak dancer, and choreographer, has performed at prestigious venues and festivals in USA and India, and is passionately involved in the promotion and dissemination of Indian dance, music, architecture, and handicrafts. She has worked on several projects relating to arts administration, museum education, community-based sustainable development, and heritage management – in India and the US. She is Director of Indo-American Arts Council’s annual Erasing Borders: Festival of Indian Dance which focuses on presenting new works in Indian Dance, and which had amazing critical success and recognition in its opening season in 2008. |
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Kathryn Kaufmann (lighting designer)
a native of New York City, Kathy has been lighting dance and performance around the world for over 20 years. She has had the good fortune to work with many wonderful artists including David Parker, Meredith Monk, Gina Gibney, Ben Munisteri, Yvonne Meier, Jacques D’Amboise, Jody Oberfelder, and Hilary Easton. She is honored to be included in Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance currently on exhibition at the NYPL Performing Arts Library. Kathy received a Bessie award for her body of work in 2004. |
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