Community Spotlight / Event Alert: Here’s Why You Must See ‘Svāhā!’ by Nova Bhattacharya An “Epic Pageant Of Dance, Chant, And Ritual”

Event Alert: Here’s Why You Must See ‘Svāhā!’ by Nova Bhattacharya An “Epic Pageant Of Dance, Chant, And Ritual”

Community Spotlight Aug 31, 2022

by Hina P. Ansari

Inspired by women and the “act of gathering”, the show Svāhā! is created by award-winning choreographer Nova Bhattacharya, and is back after a two-year delay due to COVID-19! The magnetic celebration of all sorts of dance will be at the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto on September 16 and 17th. Here are full details on why you need to book your $15 tickets now!

My Organization/Event: Svāhā!

City: Toronto, Canada

Follow Us: Instagram, Twitter

Website: www.tolive.com and www.novadance.ca

Email: [email protected]

Launched: 2008

Founders: Nova Bhattacharya

Mission Statement: Nova Dance was created as a “place where artists working with a rich diversity of dance forms could converge, create and collaborate. We are continually evolving to meet the needs of our artists and our communities. We create in conversation. Conversation with artists, conversations with audiences, conversations that connect the arts to civic life. We are instigating change, nurturing and supporting a creative community and making it possible for Canada’s multi-faceted identity to dance with sparkling brilliance.”

Here is information on Nova Dance’s upcoming show Svāhā!:

Svāhā! is a celebration of dance as a revitalizing ritual that brings us closer together. Inspired by women and the act of gathering, the work is an oblation of movement, music, colours and sensations. Created by award-winning choreographer Nova Bhattacharya, Svāhā! embodies the transformative power of dance, expressing the uniqueness of the individual and the value of community. A Sanskrit exclamation used when making offerings, Svāhā! asks “how can we be better together?”

After a two-year delay due to COVID-19, Svāhā! will make its long-awaited world premiere in Toronto at the Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, on September 16 and 17 at 8:00pm and September 18 at 2:00pm.

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Joining Bhattacharya onstage is a cast of 20 women whose practices reflect a diversity of dance forms. Svāhā! also features original composition and musical direction by Ed Hanley, live accompaniment by Ed Hanley and Gurtej Hunjan, lighting design by Simon Rossiter and costumes by Sage Paul.

“I have always been fascinated by seeing differences on stage – different dancers interpreting the same intentions and different body types mastering the same movement material. This fascination has manifested itself in the casting of artists whose technical training and cultural perspectives are different from my own, alongside those with whom I have steps and stories in common,” says Bhattacharya.

Dancers, musicians, and designers were led by Bhattacharya to continue working on the piece throughout the pandemic, with sporadic creation phases and rehearsals often taking place online. The ritual of gathering became a life-giving element for Bhattacharya and the artists, transforming Svāhā! as the pandemic transformed us all.

TO Live Vice-President of Programming, Josephine Ridge, added “TO Live’s involvement with Svāhā! dates to 2018 and stretches from concept to presentation. After the pandemic caused its postponement, when restrictions allowed, the company continued to create and rehearse in our studios. Svāhā! Is a key part of TO Live’s Fall season and an event to which all Toronto can look forward. The opening on September 16 will mark the culmination of years of creative endeavor and we are exceptionally proud to be presenting Svāhā!, a world premiere from Toronto’s own Nova Bhattacharya.”

Produced by Nova Dance in partnership with Citadel + Compagnie, with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, TO Live, Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Metcalf Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, DanceHouse, Indian Summer Music Festival, Simon Fraser University, The National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space Program and The Theatre Centre.

Founded by Nova Bhattacharya in 2008, Nova Dance brings new ideas to dance, re-inventing the possibilities of the art. The company breaks down conventions and encourages new talent with the best and most exciting in performance the world over. Nova Dance works with artists from many art forms and a multitude of backgrounds to create a community that celebrates the life-force of dance in our lives.

Tickets are $15 and you can purchase them here.

Main Image Photo Credit: Svāhā! – Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Hina P. Ansari

Author

Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...

Event Alert: Here’s Why You Must See ‘Svāhā!’ by Nova Bhattacharya An “Epic Pageant Of Dance, Chant, And Ritual”

by Hina P. Ansari

Hina P. Ansari

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