Vaibhav Arekar, Rama Vaidyanathan To Headline Presentation Of Arpana-Shakti Schools Of Dance

India-West Staff Reporter

TORRANCE, CA – Arpana Dance Company founded by Ramya Harishankar, and the Shakti School of Bharatanatyam founded by Viji Prakash, in conjunction with the Ektaa Center will co-present ‘Basant Utsav 2024 – Spring Dance Festival,’ an evening of Indian classical dance on April 7 at the James Armstrong Theater, here.

Organizers emphasized that the “festival represents a unique collaboration between two premiere South Asian dance artists and schools in Southern California.” Ramya Harishankar and Viji Prakash are among the most well-known Indian American performers who ran large dance schools in Southern California.

The evening will be headlined by two stellar Bharatanatyam artists from India, Vaibhav Arekar and Rama Vaidyanathan.

Arekar is the founder of Sankhya Dance Company, a leading dance company in western India, and he is known for promoting Indian classical dance as an evolving, contemporary art form. In his solo ‘Pravaaha,’ he will include signature compositions passed down to him by his mentor over 25 years ago before he navigates to ‘Debotar Grash’ based on Tagore’s poem of the same name.

Vaidyanathan is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of her generation. In her production, ‘New Dimensions to the Margam’, she will present compositions that are completely rooted in Bharatanatyam, but with a new perspective on its evolving vocabulary. While pushing boundaries in the choreography, she will go beyond the form to give visual imagery to poetry in different Indian languages. Her new artistic endeavor will be a mosaic of solo and group presentations.

For details and ticket information: shaktiarpana@gmail.com