MIGRATIONS

In Migrations, Nava Dance Theatre examines homeland through personal accounts of South Asian migration stories. Inspired by the lived experience of South Asians who migrated to the US since the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, Nadhi Thekkek and her collaborators ask if it is possible to fully separate ourselves from what we remember as home, or if that is what we want in the first place. The work questions the cost of the so-called American Dream at a time when stability feels further than ever.

Show Credits

Artistic Direction/Choreography: Nadhi Thekkek

Rehearsal Direction/Dramaturgy: Shruti Abhishek

Music by: GS Rajan, Sruti Sarathy, Kalaisan Kalaichelvan and others

Dancer Collaborators: Nadhi Thekkek, Shruti Abhishek, Aishwarya Subramanian, Janani Muthaiya, Lalli Venkat, Priyanka Raghuraman, Sanjana Melkote, Shelley Garg

Musician Collaborators: Sindhu Natarajan, GS Rajan, Srinath Bala, Anjana Rajan 

Lighting Design by Surabhi Bharadwaj 

Costume Design: Christopher Gurusamy (black costumes) 

Costume Tailoring: Aahaaryaa Tailors (Chennai)

Lighting Design: Surabhi Bharadwaj

PROGRAM

I. In Between Spaces | Dancers: Lalli, Aishwarya, Priyanka, Janani, Shelley | Music by: GS Rajan
In our lives we often have to meet certain expectations of being Indian enough or American enough. Where is the in-between space where we can be both and not constantly code switch?

II. Arrivals | Dancers: Nadhi, Shruti, Lalli, Aishwarya, Shelley, Janani, Priyanka, Sanjana

Music: Speech by former president Lyndon B Johnson, select original compositions by GS Rajan, and film songs from Baaton Baaton Mein (Rajesh Roshan) and Kandukondain Kandukondain (A.R. Rahman). Arrangement by this team of musicians. 

After the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, there was a wave of South Asians that immigrated to America. Many came for a better life, but what is lost in the process? What is the trade off? From the consulate office, to building a new life on your own, to being separated from a beloved across time zones, to parents and children arguing about cultural differences, to grieving the loss of our elders - this piece is an ode to the individual experiences that make up our migration stories and the negotiations that are a constant in our lives as immigrants. 

III. Resilience | Dancers: Lalli, Aishwarya, Shelley, Janani | Music by: Santosh Chandru, GS Rajan, Nadhi Thekkek

Individually, it can be hard to find support in a new place. It might take a little work, but eventually members of a community can come together for the greater good. This is inspired by stories of resilience from South Asians who lived in America in the early 1900s. 

IV. Her Sweat and Tears | Dancer: Nadhi | Music: GS Rajan

“We fostered this tree, Lord, not with water but tears. Have we the heart now to see it wither?” By Subramania Bharati (1882-1921), Excerpt from “Freedom” (Tamil), Translated by Prema Nandakumar, with additional translations by Rajendran.

The increase in hate crimes against South Asians at different points in our history, as well as the increasingly polarized politics in the US and in India can make us question where we build our families. As a parent, how does one raise a child strong enough to withstand discrimination, when speaking up also means that they put themselves in harm's way?

V. Foreign Bodies Work | Dancers: Shruti, Priyanka, Nadhi | Music: Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, with live accompaniment by GS Rajan

Inspired by the stories of women who came to the US to work after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. The words narrated by Nadhi and Shruti are quotes from interviews. 

VI. Allowing Joy | Dancers: Lalli, Aishwarya, Shelley, Janani, Priyanka, Sanjana | Music: Sruti Sarathy

Given the constant shifts in our world now, where are we able to find joy? Whether it’s individually, through our loved ones, or through our community, how do we hold on to that spark? 

Artist Biographies

Nadhi Thekkek is the Artistic Director of Nava Dance Theatre, a bharatanatyam dance company based in San Francisco, California (USA). She operates on the belief that bharatanatyam is a modern medium with potential to push boundaries of how we can use culturally-specific art forms to understand place, identity, and politics. Her choreography has been supported through: National Endowment for the Arts, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Dancers’ Group, California Arts Council, CounterPulse, East Bay Community Foundation and others. 

Past work includes: “Broken Seeds Still Grow,” created and directed by Nadhi and visual artist Rupy C. Tut, was an exploration of their ancestry and an examination of cultural othering during the 1947 Partition of British India; “Unfiltered,” a bharatanatyam work exploring the #metoo movement in collaboration with Rasika Kumar and Sahasra Sambamoorthi; “Hamsa,” a bharatanatyam and ballet collaboration with Graham Lustig, Artistic Director of the Oakland Ballet; and “Passage” a bharatanatyam and modern dance exploration choreographed on Randee Paufve and Shruti Abhishek. Some of Nadhi’s artist initiatives through Nava Dance Theatre include the Unrehearsed (Virtual) Artist Residency Program, directed by Tanu Sreedharan. She also serves on the board of the Western Arts Alliance and co-chairs the WAA Hyphen + Asian Affinity Group.

Nadhi Thekkek learned from Guru Smt. Sundara Swaminathan (Kala Vandana Dance Company, San Jose, CA) and Guru Smt. Padmini Chari (Nritya School of Dance, Houston, TX). Since 2012, she has continued training under Guru Sri. A. Lakshmanaswamy (Chennai, India).

Shruti Abhishek is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and teacher. She is the founder and artistic director of Kshetram - a holistic dance institution based in Pleasanton and Livermore, California. Shruti has a bachelor's degree in Performing Arts from Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai, India. She trains with Guru Shri Vaibhav Arekar in Mumbai, India. Her formative years were spent learning dance with Guru Smt. Rohini M Singhi in Mumbai. Shruti had the opportunity to perform at several prestigious festivals in India and Europe with Vaibhav Arekar’s Sankhya Dance Company and in the US with Nava Dance Theatre. While working on other creative collaborations, Shruti co-curates two festivals: ‘Varnam Salon’ which is a series of performances by California-based artists and ‘When Eyes Speak’ the first Indian choreography festival in San Francisco. Shruti has been a part of Nava Dance Theatre since 2016.

Lalli Venkat Lalli Venkat has studied bharatanatyam under Smt. Jayanthi Sridhar, disciple of Guru Adyar K. Lakshman. She has performed at various venues across the U.S. She has been performing with Nava Dance since 2016.

Priyanka Raghuraman is a senior performer & faculty member of Anitha Guha's Bharathanjali and a company dancer at Nava Dance Theatre, SF. She currently teaches in the Bay Area - USA through her teaching practice  'Priyada Arts'. She started learning Bharatanatyam from her mother, Smt. Kamala Raghuraman at the age of 4 and later came under the tutelage of Guru Kalaimamani Smt. Anitha Guha. As a professional soloist and graded artist with Doordarshan(India), she has toured and performed at prestigious venues across the country, the USA, and Singapore. Priyanka has also worked as a professional Television Anchor and Theater Actor, hosting over 100 shows and acting in plays staged for the prestigious National School of Drama (India). As a choreographer, she has created pieces that have garnered positive reviews and accolades. She has had the honor of receiving the 'The Meritorious Performer Award' from Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (2020), 'Yuva Kala Kovida' from Kalasangha-USA (2019), and the 'Periya Sharadha Endowment' award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha (2016) for her solo performances and was featured as a promising artist of this generation in a review of her recital which appeared in 'The Hindu'- an acclaimed Indian newspaper. During the pandemic, she has been actively performing through digital platforms and was recently asked to speak in a podcast on Spotify for 'The Hindu Business Line - Stage Business'. She has also answered a VIP questionnaire session on 'Quora Tamil'. Last year, she played key roles in a Dance Film, ‘Mahabharata’ by Navatman. Another acclaimed work that she was a part of, was Ganesh Vasudeva's ‘Life of Pi’ in which her portrayal was commended by a respected art critic, Ms. Marina Harss of the New Yorker. She is also a professional Chef with certification from the state of California and a makeup artist.

Janani Muthaiya Janani Muthaiya began her Bharatanatyam tutelage with Guru Viji Prakash and the Shakti School of Bharatanatyam at the age of 11 and has performed with the Shakti Dance Company in many events and festivals around the world. She’s also choreographed group performances for various venues including the Davis Dheem Tana Showcase and the Festival of Chariots. She joined Nava Dance Theatre in 2019.

Sanjana Melkote has been learning Bharatanatyam for the last 14 years from her guru Smt. Suganda Iyer of Jayendra Kalakendra and continues to learn at the Upadhye School of Dance. She is a dancer at Nava Dance Theater and junior captain for Natya at Berkeley. She is passionate about choreography and co-founded Fuchsia Dance, a platform for dancers to collaborate and innovate. She is a third year student studying Computer Science and Journalism at UC Berkeley and also learns Carnatic Vocal from Smt. Jayashree Varadarajan.

Aishwarya Subramanian is an interdisciplinary artist based in the Bay Area. Having trained in Bharatanatyam at the Jayamangala School of Music and Dance under her mother-guru Shobha Subramanian, she has participated in dance workshops with gurus, such as Maneesha Sathe, Narendra and Anusha Kumar, The Dhananjayans, Priyadarshini Govind, Late M.V. Narasimhachari, The Kirans, M. Venkata Krishnan, Divya Nayar, and N. Srikanth. As Artistic Director of Jayamangala, she has taught, performed, and presented Bharatanatyam at various events, festivals, and conferences around the world. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Aishwarya is a practicing expressive arts therapist and has been with Nava Dance Theatre since 2018.

GS Rajan (flute) is an outstanding world music composer and classical flautist, and has toured the world with his music. His compositions received appreciation from none other than maestros Late Pandit Ravi Shankar and maestro Zubin Mehta who attended his orchestral presentation in Munich. Rajan received several awards for his work and the French Government honored him with a fellowship for his world music orchestral compositions presented with orchestra from Marseille. He was also honored by the Govt of Kerala with its prestigious Akademi award and one of his films received the honor from Singapore Television. In 2012 Rajan moved to the USA and since then he has been composing and playing flute for dancers and with Jazz musicians besides teaching singing and flute.  www.malabarian.com

Sindhu Natarajan (vocal) is an accomplished Carnatic vocalist, composer and Bharatanatyam dancer. She hails from a family of musicians and started singing at a very young age. She initially had her Carnatic vocal training under her aunt, Smt. Vasanthi Kannan and later learned under her grandfather, late Sri P.V. Natarajan. She is currently receiving advanced training from her other aunt, Smt Raji Gopalakrishnan and she regularly gives Carnatic vocal concerts in the Bay Area. Sindhu has provided vocal support for numerous Bharatnatyam Arangetrams and has worked with renowned dance schools both in the Bay Area and across the US. In addition, she has also composed music for multiple dance programs. Sindhu has also learned Bharatanatyam under Smt. Mythili Kumar and has been a company dancer for the Abhinaya dance company in San Jose for over a decade. 

Anjana Rajan (nattuvangam)

Srinath Bala (percussion) is a versatile percussionist with varied styles blended rhythmically into one! Having been initiated by Late Sri. Krishnan (Palghat Sri Mani Iyer style), he received intensive guidance under Sri. R. Ramesh (Karaikudi Mani Style) in Chennai, and later, under Maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman. To his credit, he has uniquely combined the kannakku and naadam aspects from various gurus. He has accompanied the topmost senior artists performing in India, Canada, Zambia, Singapore and the US, and also played in Jugalbandis and TalaVadya Concerts to showcase the solo percussion aspects. He has various recordings and has given lecture- demonstrations on 'LAYAM'. In 2006, he presented a TalaVadya concert titled "Music Through Membranes". Being a recipient of the PG Arts award and MSAC Artist Awards, he has over 25 years of concert experiences and is a extremely well sought after artist for Music and Dance Concerts. He has been teaching students for many years and successfully trained many students, who currently play Mridangam, Ghatam, and Kanjira actively in various music circles. Visit http://srinathlayam.com/ for more information and clips.

Sruti Sarathy (website: www.srutisarathy.com; Instagram: www.instagram.com/sruti.sarathy) is a versatile Carnatic (South Indian classical) violinist, singer, and composer based in the Bay Area and Chennai.  Sruti's music brings out the voice of the Indian violin in a contemporary and imaginative way.  Her original music uses the Carnatic sound to explore diverse South Asian identities and diasporic history. Sruti often takes the role of composer-performer for dance and theater works, and has composed scores for short films. She has received accolades in India and the United States for her artistry, including awards from the Madras Music Academy.  A graduate of Stanford University, Sruti is the recipient of several grants from organizations including Fulbright, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, and most recently, the Creative Work Fund.

Kalaisan Kalaichelvan is a Toronto based pianist, composer, orchestrator and music producer. His music has been described as “haunting” (IndyRed.com) and “work of emotional honesty that is simply exceptional” (The Independent Critic). Having completed his ARCT diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music and Music Composition, Kalaisan’s work has been performed by various ensembles such as the Wellington String Quartet and the McMaster Chamber Orchestra across mediums of film, theatre and dance. His compositions have been recognized for “Best Music” at the Santorini Film Festival and the Largo Film Awards and has been presented in celebrated art festivals such as Nuit Blanche TO. Kalaisan is also excited to be serving as one of the composers-in-residence for the Canadian Film Centre in 2021. Having worked across various disciplines and communities of thought, he seeks to bring together incongruous institutions to build novel structures that reflect his artistic upbringing.

Nava Dance Theatre is a bharatanatyam dance company in San Francisco, which uses the south Indian dance form to navigate place, identity, and politics through the lens of lived experience.

Funders

Select pieces from this work were created with support from: California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and IDIA Dance Festival.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Kamala Devam (London) for continued choreographic feedback.

Additional thanks to Dr. Sheba George for her project guidance and the 6 anonymous Malayalee women who shared their immigration and labor stories through our ongoing oral history project, as well as Samip Mallick and the South Asian American Digital Archive, who will be archiving these stories for future generations.

And to our teachers, peers, and close community of art makers who continue to influence, affirm, and provide critical feedback when necessary.

Acknowledgements

Nava Dance Theatre is based in Yelamu, also known as San Francisco, on the ancestral, traditional, unceded territories of Chochenyo and Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, who have continuously lived upon this land since time immemorial.

Nava Dance Theatre acknowledges that bharatanatyam is a form originally practiced by hereditary dance practitioners who were and are in large part invisibilized in the dance industry today. We acknowledge the continued contributions of hereditary dancers, musicians, and their families to this form as well as the erasure of their contributions throughout history. This acknowledgement is a part of an ongoing learning process to this aspect of bharatanatyam.