Carmel-based Nrityangan Kathak Academy has had to wait to stage its eighth annual showcase.
The academy’s showcase is set for 4 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Rd., Indianapolis. Doors to the auditorium will open at 3:30 p.m. for the free showcase.
The performance is the first since February 2020, which was presented just before the COVID-19 lockdown began, the academy’s founder/director Anindita Sen said. The academy’s studio is inside Sen’s Carmel house.
Special dances this year include collaborations with area artists. Sen said the academy is partnering with saxophonist George Wolfe, professor emeritus of Ball State University’s department of music, and Amudhan Venkateswaran on the Indian drums called tabla.
“Together with them we are presenting Kathak to a well-known jazz piece in a true fusion manner,” Sen said. “This is the first time that anyone has attempted Kathak to ‘Take 5.’ We are also collaborating with my student Rasitha Jayasekare from Sri Lanka, who has trained in Kandyan dance form while growing up in that country, in our attempt to present a Kathak Kandyan fusion dance for the very first time.”
There are 54 students participating, ranging in age from 6 to almost 60. The majority of students are from Carmel, Zionsville and Fishers. Some are from Muncie, Crawfordsville and the south side of Indianapolis.
For more, visit indykathak.com.
