Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
Songs of Love & Longing

Thursday, January 22, 2015 | 8:00 pm

Reynolds Industries Theater

Surupa Sen (choreographer/dancer) and Bijayini Satpathy (dancer), the magnificent duo from South India’s Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, perform a special program of solos and duets inspired by the epic Indian poem the Gita Govinda at Duke Performances. This dance performance — accompanied by a musical ensemble featuring voice, harmonium, mardala, violin, and bansuri — recounts the love between the immortal Krishna and the human Radha described in the 12th-century ballad.

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, based in an intentional community near Bangalore, is regarded as India’s foremost dance company, and the leading exemplar of the classical dance form Odissi. Calling their New York debut “one of the most luminous dance events of the year,” the New York Times marveled as the company “performed with a burnished grace, a selfless concentration, and a depth that reflected their intensive training.” Although dedicated to an ancient practice, Nrityagram is also committed to carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century by making new choreography and collaborating with contemporary Indian musicians.