Ancient civilisations from across continents were all independently worshippers of the feminine divine, suggesting the dominant societal pre-occupations of community of the times, which was of fertility and sustenance.
Female divinities were viewed dichotomously as both creator/nurturers as well as fierce protectors. Such imagery over time has taken on a central role in South Asia.
The ancient Shakta tradition of worshippers of the feminine divine has over the millennia developed into a sophisticated philosophical study of psychology of human failings. Often times, the ill-understood metaphors of natural phenomena stand for astute observations on the human mind.
The Nitya Nritya Dance Ensemble has been on a journey of examining this fascinating gendered history over the last few years. We share our insights in our latest revisit – PUNAHA.
Bharatnatyam Dancers: Jyothsna Sainath, Sarayu Ramanan, Aiswarya Josyula, Parimala Maremanda, Rashmi Hungund, Anusha Manchi and Soundarya Jayaraman. Dancer bios can be found here.
PUNAHA: Presented by The Nitya Nritya Dance Ensemble
FRIDAY 11th SEPTEMBER 2026, 8:45 – 9:20 PM
MID-VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, TAYLORSVILLE
Creative Credits:
– Concept: Jyothsna Sainath
– Choreography: Jyothsna Sainath / Nitya Nritya Dance Ensemble
– We are grateful for a workshop with Praveen Kumar, visiting artist for the festival who refined the choreography through a workshop.
– Music Composition: Praveen D Rao, Bengaluru
– Musicians:
Percussion and Konnakol: Praveen D Rao
Mridangam: Sumod Sridharan
Voice / Flute: Varijashree Venugopal
Voiceover: Jyothsna Sainath
Intellectual Credits:
We are grateful to Sri K. Aravind Rao, IPS, retired as the Director-General of Police of united Andhra Pradesh state.
Reference:
In Praise of the Goddess, by Devadatta Kali
Technical Credits:
– Prabhat Sound Studio, Bengaluru (Recording Engineer: Sri Rangaswamy)
– Media Studios Librarian. Marriott Library (Recording Engineer: Robert J. Nelson)