The Nitya Nritya Festival is a curated Indian classical dance and music festival in its 7th year of bringing the best of Indian classical arts to Utah.
We invite you to an immersive weekend that combines engagement with a range of Indian arts in formal concerts/performances, talks, Q&As with artists, and lobby exhibits on
Saturday, September 9th, and Sunday, September 10th.
Sep 9, 2023, Saturday:
7 pm – 8.30 pm, Scintillating Strings
The Veena, a South Indian stringed instrument that has at least 2000 years of history is primarily used in Carnatic classical music. The Karaikudi Veena tradition in particular has a long and hallowed history of engaging in Carnatic classical music on the Veena and through voice for several generations.
We present a quartet of Karaikudi Veena players who represent the 10th and 11th generations of professional involvement which started in the 1700s in the courts of South Indian kings.
8.40 pm – 9.20 pm, Unpacking Shared experiences in Salpuri and Bharatanatyam
The Korean Salpuri & South Indian Bharatanatyam, are each genres of dance that have been deeply influenced by colonization. Dr. Hwang & Dr. Sainath open the discussion about this in a joint work involving dance, spoken word & percussion.
Sep 10, 2023, Sunday:
2 pm – 2.45 pm, Literature and culture of ancient tamils, via Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan
Indra Nealemeghham is an Utah-based scholar of Tamil literature & history. Her recent English translations of Ponniyin Selvan have widened the readership of this important Tamil magnum opus.
3 pm – 4.30 pm, Vibrant hues of Hindustani
Preeti Gosar is a rising Hindustani vocalist based in CA. She will present a traditional Hindustani concert bringing this complex and rich tradition of voice music to life in Utah.
4.45 pm – 6.15 pm, The Four Horsemen
An original creative dance work by Sonali Skandan & Maya Kulkarni, this is visually stunning dance production weaves around stories themed on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that are at once deeply & universally experienced.
