Toronto, CANADA - ADYA is a creative exploration of first power within. Under the creative direction of Neetika Sharma and using Kathak and Bharatnatyam dance techniques, this piece was developed as part of Katha-Ras Dance Lab, supported by ArtReach Toronto. Led by Neetika, Katha-Ras Youth Dance Lab is a dynamic youth empowering initiative that brings together Toronto based young female dancers of color that practice a traditional dance form to work on a seven day facilitated choreography lab with the intention of exploring lines, movements and grammar of Kathak dance under the context of personal experiences. The idea of the dance lab is to encourage inter-arts collaboration and exchange between the participants. For the 2019 edition of the lab, participating dancers explored the theme of finding the power within or the first universal power and innovative use of rhythm under the context of Kathak & Bharatnatyam vocabulary.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Neetika is a GTA-based dance artist who started performing at the age of ten. Born in Libya to Indian parents, today she actively works as a Kathak performer, creator, choreographer, arts manager, and culture & diversity advocate. In 2019, she received an ArtReach grant for her project, Katha-Ras Dance Lab that explored choreographic intersectionalities between different dance forms. The 2020 digital edition of the project was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, and her community-focused work has also been supported by the Laidlaw Foundation. Neetika has received professional training in Indian classical dance form Kathak from Toronto based Gurus Hemant & Vaishali Panwar. She has keen interest in exploring various layers of traditional Kathak repertoire and presenting them with new and relevant interpretations through research, creation and performance. She has worked with/for eminent organizations like Fall for Dance North, Muse Arts, Moonhorse Dance Theatre, Theatre Oculus, North York Arts, Akumal Arts Festival, the Tortuga Escondida Residency Centre, and Nia Centre for the Arts. She has also served as Board member and grant review team member of different organizations in Toronto.

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