Event—Public Programming

Celebrate 50 Years of Natya Dance Theatre

Join us for a celebration of the Natya Dance Theatre with food and performances!

This program will be held in-person at the Newberry.

The Natya Dance Theatre will present an evening of talks, performances, and light refreshments. Hema Rajagopalan, the artistic director of Natya Dance Theatre, will share the history of the group, and share an excerpt from a documentary. There will be a dance performance, followed by a presentation on the costumes and fabrics that are essential to the dance, presented by Sandhya Raman.

Speaker

Natya Dance Theatre (NDT), under the artistic leadership of Hema Rajagopalan, is one of the most critically acclaimed and culturally treasured Indian dance companies in the United States. Natya was founded in 1974, in Chicago, IL. The highly innovative work of NDT offers profound and subtle expressions of humanity’s deepest questions and values in the context of our present-day lives. Rooted in Bharata Natyam, one of the great classical dance forms of India, NDT preserves and perpetuates Bharata Natyam in all its classical rigor, and moves the art form in innovative directions to foster cultural exchange through dance. NDT’s contemporary interpretations incorporate dynamic body movement, rhythmic footwork, hand gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning and emotion that create rasa, aesthetic experiences that spiritually transform audiences worldwide.

Cost and Registration

This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required.

Registration opens September 1.

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Past Public Programs

Check out video recordings of past Newberry public programs on our YouTube channel.

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