Footprints on Water–Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company, India
8:00 pm    September 29-30, 2005

The Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company-Drishtikon Dance Foundation has performed extensively in India and across the globe including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2001 & 2004, and the Perth International Arts Festival 2005. The five dancers and three musicians use their bodies, voices, instruments, and various props to interweave rhythms and sounds, with Aditi leading an “explosive tour of the body’s ability to make music” (The Scotsman). In some dances the beat enters the ear and the body resonates, to create new ‘soundscapes’; in others, the poetry enters the heart and the body swirls to reveals an inner landscape.

Aditi Mangaldas, principal dancer and choreographer, has trained extensively in the traditional technique of Kathak, characterized by fast rhythmic footwork, spectacular spins, and poised stances, as well as a subtle, relatively abstract, ways of conveying dramatic expression. ­She is also a serious practitioner of yoga. Retaining the spirit and dynamism of these ancient forms she places them in a contemporary context, extending their vocabulary to create new modes of expression. Her work has the spirit and dynamism of Kathak with a yoga spine. Aditi shows herself not only to be a master of Indian movement but also one of India’s most intelligent contemporary choreographers.

The Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company- The Drishtikon dance foundation was formally created in 1991. Since then the company has performed extensively in India and in over 25 countries across the globe. The company is known for it's pure traditional work as well as it's contemporary works based on the traditional dance form of kathak . Aditi Mangaldas, who is the companies principle dancer and choreographer, has had extensive training in the Indian classical dance form of kathak. Using the strength of this form she has attempted to carve out a contemporary vocabulary of her own. She has performed in major cities of the world to critical acclaim. Besides solos, she has choreographed a number of group ensembles, that have been both traditional and contemporary in nature. Her contemporary performances reflect the spirit of kathak and go beyond its form and content to create a new language. Each piece explores the past to create a new future. She studied under Smt. Kumudini Lakhia and Shri Birju Maharaj. In her words,"I view my work as having the spirit and dynamism of kathak with a yoga spine. I have looked at this ancient dance form with a modern mind and tried to give it contemporary dimensions. The form of kathak has always been close to me. It is not a tether that holds me back but in fact I consider it to be deep roots - using the strength of which I have attempted to reach new forms and create new spaces. The company's philosophy "To have the courage to question age old myths as well as contemporary storms, the courage to go beyond one's physical, emotional and intellectual being, the courage to accept change and explore, both within and without and finally, the courage to '"dance my own dance".
http://www.aditimangaldasdance.com/
http://www.nycitycenter.org/

Major support for performances at the Asia Society is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Helen and Will Little Endowment for Performing Arts.