Kala Vandanam is honored to co-present with Isha Foundation, “Nadi” by Spanda Dance Company. This concert is in support of “Rally for Rivers,” an Isha Foundation initiative to raise awareness about the dying rivers in India.
ABOUT NADI
The river has been the very source of life. From Sufi fakirs in the North to Baul singers in Bengal to Sangam poetry and classical composers in the South – an ocean of poetry has been penned inspired by the River. NADI seeks to explore the love and longing, the physical changes and the deep philosophy that the river inspired through the centuries-old voices of India’s poets.
NADI has made an eclectic selection of poems in different languages and musical genres from the thumris of Varanasi, to Tagore’s melodies and the Baul renderings of Bengal, to Sangam poetry, the previous centuries Dikshitar, and to modern-day Girish Karnad of the South. Every poem has a different philosophical setting, but all deal with the concept of the River.
NADI is a common link and we hope that elements like the river, can continue to teach man the usefulness and beauty of nature and our link to it.
ABOUT SPANDA
Spanda, a group founded in 1995 that presents works conceived and choreographed by Leela Samson, explores group dynamics in Bharatanatyam. Spanda, which means a vibration or pulse, is symbolic of the enduring and perpetual energy that is the life force of the universe.
The need to rediscover learnt vocabulary challenges and excites Spanda. While retaining the geometry, the variety and grammar of this ancient form one can reduce movement to its truest expression. Spanda deliberates text, musical traditions and movement vocabulary and exposes the dancer and viewer to the stillness within them. Spanda seeks to establish a relevant dialogue between dance, music and stage craft.
