Come see this new work in Kathak Dance!! www.odc.dance/Mantram
Learn about Chitresh Das Institute's piece Aranya Katha presented at the 41st annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley.
ARANYA KATHA
Aranya Devi, Goddess of the Forest, revives an environmental story from India in a moving performance of Kathak dance. Artistic Director Charlotte Moraga’s choreography opens the classical Indian form out wide onto our stage, and the message resonates today, celebrating everyday heroes of Earth.
In Rajasthan, in 1730, Maharaja Abhay Singh was building a palace and ordered his ministers to fell shami trees in the Bishnoi village of Khejarli, even though the Bishnoi religion promotes harmony with nature, caring for trees and other living beings. When the military arrived, Amrita Devi and her daughters hugged the trees, trying to save them. They were killed, along with 360 neighbors, and the remorseful maharaja eventually prohibited tree cutting. Centuries later, this story became an anthem for the 1970s Chipko anti-deforestation movement, in the Himalayan foothills, when women hugged trees and prevented logging.
CHITRESH DAS INSTITUTE
The Chitresh Das Institute (CDI) was formed in 2017 by Charlotte Moraga, Celine Schein Das, and Preeti Zalavadia a few years after the untimely death of Pandit Chitresh Das, to carry forward his teachings and philosophy of excellence and innovation within tradition. CDI is dedicated to training the next generation of Kathak artists, educators, and arts activists. The organization has branches in San Mateo, San Francisco, Cupertino, Marin, and San Ramon.
Website: www.chitreshdasinstitute.org/
Facebook: / chitreshdasinstitute
Instagram: @chitreshdasinstitute
SAN FRANCISCO ETHNIC DANCE FESTIVAL - WORLD ARTS WEST
World Arts West serves the world, traditional, and folk dance communities of Northern California by presenting and advancing multicultural performing arts. We accomplish this through:
-The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and its audition process.
-The Community Involvement Initiative, a program designed to raise awareness of the ethnic dance community and its needs.
-Special Events: Workshops, symposiums, lecture/demonstrations, special receptions, and master classes.
World Arts West has been presenting and promoting the dance and music traditions of the world for over forty years, creating opportunities for individuals and communities to celebrate, share, and sustain the vitality of ethnic and traditional dance. Our work promotes the importance of cultural heritage for strengthening ethnic identity and community.
MUSIC
• Video
• Video
All other music is property of Chitresh Das Institute.
LEARN MORE!
1) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khejarli
2) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhai...
3) www.quora.com/Why-has-the-Amr...
4) www.jatland.com/home/Amrita_Devi
5) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipk...
★ Want to support my work? It would mean the world :) www.buymeacoffee.com/kritikas...
Directed, Filmed & Edited by Kritika Sharma
includes professional footage from World Arts West Ethnic Dance Festival