Nitya Nritya Foundation and Utah Presents are in partnership to bring She’s Auspicious to Utah.
BUY TICKETS – 5pm – 6.50 pm, Sunday, Sep 8
An electrifying Indian classical dance production by leading Bhratanatyam artist and choreographer, Mythili Prakash and ensemble.
Mythili Prakash belongs to a new generation of classical Indian dancers. She is one of the most celebrated and respected young Bharata Natyam dancer/choreographers today. A second generation Indian and American artist, Mythili has positioned herself as a global and cosmopolitan artist through her unique experiences and collaborations Her repertoire is an embodiment of narratives of the many worlds that shape her. Raised in Los Angeles, she grew up in an environment filled with dance and music, under the watchful eye of her mother and teacher dance exponent Viji Prakash. Mythili began her performing career with her solo debut in India at the age of eight and has since performed extensively in prestigious venues and festivals throughout the world. She has studied with several legendary stalwarts from India, and is trained and mentored by of India’s iconic dancer/choreographer Malavika Sarukkai. Mythili has toured her own solo productions in the United Kingdom, Scotland, France, and Singapore, the United States and Mexico. She was featured on NBC’s Superstars of Dance as a Bharata Natyam soloist, introducing her art form to all over the world. Mythili also had the honor of working with Director Ang Lee in the award winning film Life of Pi and was cast as the wife of Pi. Nominated by celebrated dancer/choreographer Akram Khan as “choreographer of the future” for UK-based Dance Umbrella’s “Four by four commissions,” Mythili premiered her solo work “HERE and NOW” at their 2019 Festival. Mythili is recipient of numerous accolades from premiere institutions of Dance and Music in India. She is a recipient of the Creation to Performance Grant from the Irvine Dance Foundation and Artistic Innovation Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation. In 2021 she received the National Dance Project Touring Grant from NEFA for She’s Auspicious, which previewed in Hamburg at the “Reflektor Festival” curated by musician Anoushka Shankar. Mythili was a principal dancer in Akram Khan Company’s “Outwitting the Devil.” In 2022, she created a trilogy of pieces, beginning with AR | DHA – a commission for the 90th anniversary festival of Jacob’s Pillow, and concluding with ONE | ALL for “Festival in Motion” one of the first of its kind site specific dance festivals in Qatar, surrounding the World Cup 2022.
SHE’ S AUSPICIOUS
A full-length dance and music work featuring an all-female cast, She’s Auspicious blurs the lines between Goddess and Woman to explore the intricate interplay between the worship of Goddesses and treatment of women in society. The Goddess/Woman paradox allows the unraveling of socio-cultural myths, stories, and values that are beautiful and personal, but simultaneously deeply rooted in systemic power structures.
“As the dancer, I inhabit the character of the Goddess Devi, who is created by male Gods, generated with their energy and weapons, and programmed to kill an army of demons. In doing this, I seek to embody and linger in psychological states that challenge the ideals of “restraint” that characterize femininity in both classical dance and in society; this mythical narrative becomes a mirror to our present day reality, connected to questions of power and agency, reflecting my own lived and observed experiences as a woman.” – Mythili Prakash
Choreography/dance: Mythili Prakash
Sound Design: Aditya Prakash, Mythili Prakash, Sushma Soma
Music Production: Aditya Prakash
Set Design: Mythili Prakash, Kaavya Matatova, Zak Macro
Technical Manager: Lars Davidson, Zak Macro
Artists on Recording: Sushma Soma (vocal), Aditya Prakash (vocal and percussion), Sumesh Narayanan (Mridangam)
Sound Engineer: Julien Le
Lighting Design: Seah Johnson
Mentor: Akram Khan
Theatrical Inputs: Janet Roston
Rehearsal Director: Kaavya Matatova
Performers: Ananya Ashok (vocal/veena), Roopa Mahadevan (vocal), Rajna Swaminathan (percussion), Jahnavi Kalyan, Nikita Rao, Jessica Sitaramya, Malini Taneja
Team:
Creative Partner: Kaavya Matatova
Project Manager: Jahnavi Kalyan
Agent: Cathy Pruzan
This work was made possible by the National Dance Project grant from NEFA.