Dance in the Round with Parijat Desai

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 12:15pm
Center for the Arts Courtyard (in front of Ring Family Performing Arts Hall)

FREE!

Rain Location: Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, South Gallery

India-born, U.S.-raised choreographer/dancer Parijat Desai leads an inclusive Dance in the Round workshop based on the "garba" circle dance from Gujarat, India. No experience necessary.

Garba (and raas) are typically played across India and the Gujarati diaspora during the autumnal Navaratri festival. One of India’s major celebrations, Navaratri is a time to see family and friends, enjoy music and dance, and seek blessings for new endeavors. Through this event, Desai welcomes people of all ages, abilities, genders, cultures, and castes into the circle, transforming a culture-specific practice into an inclusive space for collective well-being and activation.

As a dancemaker, Desai is concerned with the interplay between our emotional landscape, the political realities that plague us, and the ever-present natural world. Her choreographies blend Indian folk, classical, and contemporary dance; martial arts; and experimental theater.

Dance In The Round at Mark Morris Dance Center from Parijata Dance Company on Vimeo.

Visual elements of Desai's performance project "How Do I Become WE" are featured in the South Asian Experimental Dance Artists exhibition Kinetic Visualities, on display from Thursday, September 29 through Sunday, October 2, 2022. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, Noon to 7pm; Sunday Noon to 5pm. For more information please visit the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery website.

This event and exhibition are part of the 46th annual Navarati Festival at Wesleyan, taking place from Wednesday, September 28 through Sunday, October 2, 2022.

Images: thumbnail of Parijat Desai by Kyle Froman; event photo above of Parijat Desai teaching in a circle at "Dance in the Round" at Drums Along the Hudson in 2019 by Joseph Rodman.