Kathak, a distinguished Indian classical dance form, will unite with American tap dance during ‘Speak: A Kathak and Tap Collaboration’ presented by Leela Dance, a dance collective bringing together promising artists in both genres.
The performance is scheduled for March 24-25 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California.Founded by Indian-Americans dancers Rachna Nivas and Rina Mehta, ‘Speak’ marks the debut of the Leela Dance Collective.
Nivas said, “The Leela Dance Collective is a home for those artists seeking to develop their individual creative voice while working collaboratively to forward a collective vision for Kathak dance.”
Continuing the legacy of late Pt Chitresh Das, Leela Dance is sustaining and deepening that relationship with this production, she added.
According to Mehta, Leela, named after the Sanskrit word that loosely translates to ‘play’; it is the spontaneous, joyful creativity that comes from being in a pure state of bliss.
‘Speak’ will be staged at 8:00 pm on March 24 and at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm on March 25.