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Sakshi/Witness program

by Trinayan Collective
April 13, 2006
Joyce Soho
155 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012
212-431-9233
The Trinayan Collective
www.trinayan.org

See a review of the show
Sakshi/Witness

"‰¥Ïan exploration of the physical and metaphysical meanings of witness…"

April 13th, 14th, 15th &16th, 2006
8 p.m.

Presented in Association With

Joyce SoHo
155 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012

Sakshi/Witness
, draws on the physical and metaphysical connotations of 'witness', the conceptual anchor of this production. The notion of witness ranges from the omnipresent and omniscient divine to the simple act of witnessing one's breath during meditation.
Asato Maa Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityur Maa Amritam Gamaya
Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
1:Adaya, 3:Bhrahmana, 28:Mantra
L
ead me from falsehood to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
Program
Alaap (prelude)
Odissi, like any other art form requires hours of preparation. This opening piece acknowledges the daily practice of all artists; whether this is riyaz for a musician or warm-up exercises for a dancer. This piece is a window to the preparation that is rarely performed in a public space.
Dancers: Sambrita Basu, Sylvia Lim, Nalini Singh, Nandini Sikand and Alicia Pascal

New York City Sthayee
A fast-paced rhythmic dance that is performed at various New York City landmarks including Central Park, Times Square and the steps of the New York Public Library. With four dancers on stage and four on screen, this piece is a carefully choreographed 'pas de deux' between dance and film, placing dance at the center of our daily lives.
Dancers: Sylvia Lim, Kakoli Mukherjee, Alicia Pascal and Nandini Sikand
Original choreography: Deba Prasad Das
Camera: Anjali Walter Editor: Nandini Sikand

Ke Elo Sojoni?
"Who is that flute-player, my friend, for I have never seen him before?"
Abhinaya, the interpretation of lyrics with facial expressions and gestures, lies at the core of an Odissi dancer's art. In this Oriya song a young woman asks her sakhi, 'friend', about the enticing flute-player who stands beneath the Kadamba tree.
Dancer: Bani Ray
Original choreography: Durga Charan Ranbir Music composition: Ram Hari Das
Film excerpts from "The River" directed by Jean Renoir (1951)

Rageshri Pallavi
Of the prevalent raags in Indian music, each raag has a female form known as a raagini. This pallavi, which means 'to elaborate', is a pure dance set to melodies based on Raagini Rageshri which is played during the second half of the night. As a bud gradually blooms into a flower, so the intricacies of the raagini are unveiled as the rhythm gradually increases.
Dancers: Kakoli Mukherjee, Nandini Sikand and Nalini Singh
Original choreography: Durga Charan Ranbir Music composition: Ram Hari Das
Film excerpts from "The River" directed by Jean Renoir (1951)

A Dialogue with Death: The Story of Savitri
Yama - Lord of Justice in Hindu mythology - is also the deity in charge of our leaving this world. Savitri is revered as an ideal wife for her wit, devotion to her husband, and persistence in claiming back his life. Odissi recitals often include excerpts from Hindu epics like Geeta Govinda and Ramayana. Today's story has been devised for audiences who do not speak Indian languages.
Script: Rajika Puri and Yuval Sharon - based on a story found in the Indian epic Mahabharata.
Performer: Rajika Puri - accompanied by a prop generously lent to her by Balinese dancer Rachel Cooper

Moskha
Moksha, or 'liberation', expresses the merging of the dancer with the Infinite.
Dancers: Sambrita Basu, Alicia Pascal, Kakoli Mukherjee, Sylvia Lim, Nandini Sikand and Nalini Singh
Original choreography: Durga Charan Ranbir Music composition: Ram Hari Das
Camera and Editor: Nandini Sikand

Sutradhar ('Narrator'): Conceived, scripted and performed by Rajika Puri

Musical Accompaniment
Vocals: Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Ukkuta (spoken rhythmic syllables): Bani Ray,
Tabla: Kumar Das, Sitar: Ananda Chanda, Flute: Eric Fraser

The Collective

Bani Ray
As teacher to the members of the Collective and an exponent of Odissi, Bani has been dancing since the age of six. She has studied dance under some of the most revered gurus such as Shri Valmiki Banerjee, Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir, and Late Guru Shrinath Raut. Apart from Odissi, Bani has also studied Mohini Attam, Manipuri and various other folk dance forms. She has performed extensively throughout India and the United States and has received numerous scholarships, fellowships, and awards for her expertise in the field of dance. She is co-founder and co-director of Trinayan Collective.

Sylvia Lim
Sylvia discovered Odissi by chance while studying at college. She has been trained under the guidance of the members of the Trinayan Collective for the past five years, notably Bani Ray. Sylvia would like to dedicate this performance to the Trinayan family for their continued support, her friend Deepa who directed her to Lotus, and her husband.

Kakoli Mukherjee
Dancing Odissi since the age of 12, Kakoli learned under Guru Ramli Ibrahim in her hometown of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and presently with Bani Ray & Guru Durga Charan Ranbir in New York. A postgraduate from Texas, Kakoli works for an international publication in New York while pursuing her love of dance. She is a co-founder and co-director of Trinayan Collective

Alicia Pascal
Giving her first Odissi performance at the age of 15, Alicia initially learned under Deva Deva Jagatpate and presently studies under Bani Ray & Guru Durga Charan Ranbir. A speech pathologist and devout dancer from Brooklyn, Alicia has cultivated a niche for herself and in her ability to spread the spiritual aspects of Odissi and Bharata Natyam. She is co-director of the Trinayan Collective.

Nandini Sikand
Co-founder and co-director of Trinayan Collective, Nandini began learning Odissi at the age of 7. She studied under Shri Shrinath Raut and Madhavi Mudgal in New Delhi. She now presently studies with Bani Ray & Guru Durga Charan Ranbir. Nandini is also an independent filmmaker and a PhD student at CUNY, Graduate Center.

Nalini Singh
Nalini Singh was initiated into Odissi dance at the age of 9, by Guru Mayadhar Raut's disciple Mondira Balkaransingh of the Nrityanjali Dance Theater of Trinidad and Tobago. After migrating to the United States, her love for Odissi flourished when she met Bani Ray and was inspired by Guru Deba Prasad Das' style of Odissi. Since then she has traveled with Bani Ray back to Trinidad and Guyana for performances and has been a dancer with Trinayan Collective since its inception.

Sambrita Basu
Sambrita has trained in Odissi for 16 years by Dr. Chitra Krishnamurti, a disciple of Kelucharan Mohapatra, a leading proponent of Odissi dance. She has choreographed and performed main roles in several dance dramas with the Nrityalaya dance group based in Washington, DC, as well as given many solo performances both in the US and India. She was awarded the Homewood Arts Certificates in Dance and Music from Johns Hopkins University in 2004.

Viviana Pappayannis
Viviana was born in Lima, Perú where she started dancing at the age of 7. Since then she has learned and performed a variety of dances such as Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Kazachok (Russian dance) and Flamenco. Since 2004, Viviana has been learning yoga and meditation with a wonderful teacher, Nishit Patel to whom she cannot thank enough for his straight forward and practical approach. Viviana has a beautiful son, Stefano and loving husband, Alex.

Rajika Puri
Mentor to the Collective, Rajika is an exponent of Odissi and Bharatanatyam which she performs all over India, Europe, the US, and Latin America. She has studied ballet, modern dance, western music and flamenco and - since she played 'Narrator/Kali' in The Transposed Heads (director: Julie Taymor, Lincoln Center Theater '86) - has an active career in western theater. Rajika currently focuses on developing works based on her Indian and cross-cultural training: re-choreographing traditional repertoire with a contemporary aesthetic (Bharatanatyam Variations, Sthayee for Trinayan '02); collaborating with other forms like Flamenco (Flamenco Natyam: Guggenheim, & India tours '98 & '05) and American song (Union/Severed: Asia Society '05); and one-woman story-telling accompanied by gesture, mime, danced movement, chant and song (Devi-malika: Rubin Museum of Art '05). She writes on western and Indian performing arts for NewsIndia Times and ExploreDance.com. www.rajikapuri.com.

Musicians
Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay
Originally from Serampore, West Bengal, India, Partha has an M. Tech from IIT Kharagpur and is a software professional. Partha received training in Indian Classical music from Guru Shri A. L. Chatterjee of Serampore, of the Kirana Gharana. He has performed in the AIR Regional Centre at Cuttack, Orissa and is popular for light classical songs, ragpradhan, bhajan, ghazal etc. Partha is a composer and music director having composed music and songs for tele-films, AIR Cuttack, musical plays and dance-dramas.

Ananda Chanda
Born and raised in Kolkata, Ananda Chanda was initiated to Indian Classical Music at the age of 12. He learnt Hindusthani Classical music on Hawaiian Guitar for 3 years finally taking up sitar as his primary instrument. His initial training on sitar was under Jagadeesh Gokhale and then Allyn Miner. Currently he is a disciple of the Kolkata-based sitarist Partha Bose. Belonging to Maihar Gharana, Ananda adheres to dhrupad style of sitar playing.
Ananda holds advanced degrees in Mathematics and a doctorate in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Professionally, he works in Equity Trading at Morgan Stanley, New York.

Kumar Das
A native of Bangladesh, Kumar Das has been immersed in the centuries-old art form of the tabla since the age of three. Earning numerous honors and awards in recognition of his musicianship, he has recently completed a critically acclaimed cultural tour of West Coast, Canada and Asian continent. Now based in NYC, Kumar is in high demand for training workshops and performances all over the country. A disciple of Pt. Samir Chatterjee, Kumar Das humbly offers his gratitude to the tabla maestros who have enhanced his musical journey. In addition to the Indian classical music passed down through the generations of his family, Kumar explores New York's multi-cultural groove to incorporate other contemporary genres such as Jazz, Bluegrass, Hip-hop and Avant-Garde.

Eric Fraser
Eric Fraser first picked up a bansuri flute while visiting Benares in 2000. Since 2003, Eric has made several trips to Kolkata where he studies flute with Pandit Gopal Chandra Roy, a disciple of the late Bansuri master Pandit Gour Goswami. With Pt. Gopal Chandra Roy and Steven Gorn as his principal teachers, Fraser is a developing flute player in the lineage of Padmabushan Pannalal Ghosh. Eric is also a professional music therapist, storyteller, and children's music artist. He has a BA in philosophy from Bard College and an MA in music therapy from NYU.

Special Thanks
Alex Beauchesne
Samuel Bristow
Kamala Cesar & Lotus Music & Dance
Taiis Pascal-Charles
Julie Ana Dobo
Wayne Froud
Fiona Ip and Quotepremier
Kelly Kuwabara
Michelle Lippitt
Caroline Lord & The Construction Company
Michael 'Sava' Martin
Neelu Bhuman and Andrew Nicholson

Paritosh & Beena Patel
Michelle Pascal
Fabio Pires
Rajika & Anupam Puri
Elke Rehbock
Peter Smallman
J. Barry Thompson
Anjali Walter
Cynthia Xavier
Alexandra Yperifanos
Image Zone

Thank you to all our family & friends who continue to give us their undying support and patience. Tonight would not be possible without you.
Behind the Scenes
Produced & Directed by: The Trinayan Collective
Film & Video: Nandini Sikand
Staging & new choreography: Kakoli Mukherjee
Publicity: Michelle Pascal (Map Unlimited, Inc. mapunlimited@aol.com)
Publicity design: Fiona Ip (www.quotepremier.com)
Photography: Alex Beauchesne (www.alexbeauchesne.com)
Website Design: Papia Hajra (www.papiadesigns.com)
Light Design: Julie Ana Dobo
Sound & Video Playback: Jesse Shatnik
Stage Manager: Kron Vollmer
Costume design: Fabio Pires
Crew: Wayne Froud, Kristy Hasen, Michelle Lippitt and J. Barry Thompson
Video: Kristy Hasen, Celeste Paulick and Tom Soper
Flower Design and Rangoli: Michelle Lippitt
Ushers: Caleen Ramsook, Michele Lam

This program is funded in part by the Asian American Arts Alliance SOAR program
Trinayan,
or the third eye, is the nexus of divine energy in each human being. The mission of the Trinayan Collective is to create evocative interpretations of Odissi dance through multi-layered performances. We trace the thread of Indian classical dance from ancient sculptures and the teachings of gurus to a multitude of traditional and contemporary representations. Employing the rich grammar and structural grace of Odissi dance, each Trinayan performance is created via a collage of music, movement, spoken-word, story telling, filmic images and sound. Our guiding principle is to create a non-hierarchical, sacred space for artists to collaborate and perform together. This unique collective is formed by a diverse group of artists who have joined hands to share their art and their vision. The dancers are part of the seminal lineage of Guru Deba Prasad Das who is credited with being one of three revivalists of Odissi dance in India. Durga Charan Ranbir, guru to the Trinayan Collective is the foremost exponent of the Deba Prasad Das School in this style today.

The Trinayan Collective has performed extensively in the tri-state area. Some highlights are The New York Ramayana at Danny Kaye Playhouse (a joint production of the World Music Institute and Lotus Music and Dance), A Garland for Saraswati at Lincoln Center Out of Doors and presentations at the Brooklyn Museum, Merce Cunningham Dance, CultureFest, Dance Theatre Workshop, Joyce Soho and Madison Square Gardens.
Contact Information:
Trinayan Collective
Address: 365 West 36th Street, Suite# 3W, New York, NY 10018
Telephone: (212) 268-0590
Email: info@trinayan.org
Website: www.trinayan.org
_ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Please support the efforts of the Trinayan Collective.
The Trinayan Collective is a 501(c)-3 not-for-profit organization. All proceeds are tax-deductible.

Gift Amount: $________

Name: ______________________
Address: ______________________
Telephone: ______________________
Email: ______________________
Cash & checks only. Please make checks payable to: Trinayan Collective

Thank you for your generosity.

— -

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. oversees The Joyce Theater and Joyce SoHo, two of New York's leading dance venues. Joyce SoHo promotes artistic growth and audience development by providing independent choreographers and dance companies with three exceptional studios at a highly subsidized rate for rehearsals through the Harkness Space Grant Program. The first floor is also rented for performances by independent choreographers and not-for-profit dance companies.

The creation of Joyce SoHo was made possible by the magnanimous support of the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.

The Joyce thanks the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for its generous grant to create the Doris Duke Dance Studio and to enable other renovations at Joyce SoHo. We also thank the following for their wonderful support of Joyce SoHo capital projects: Emily Fisher, New York State Council on the Arts, Council Member Alan J. Gerson, and the New York City Council.

Joyce SoHo is supported by private funds from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, JPMorgan Chase, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund established in The New York Community Trust by the founders of the Reader's Digest Association, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and The Greenwall Foundation; and by public funds from the New York City Council, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.




The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc.
Executive Director Linda Shelton
Joyce SoHo

Program Associate Cynthia Xavier
Production Manager Julie Ana Dobo
House Management Shannon Flemming
Administrative Assistant Sava B. Martin
Box Office Jake McMullen, Jonathan Saulmon
Building Maintenance Raymond Yancey

The Joyce SoHo Performance Space is Wheelchair Accessible

For information on rehearsal and/or performance rental at Joyce SoHo, contact the administrative office at 155 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012. Phone 212-431-9233 or fax 212-334-9025. For information regarding The Joyce Theater at 175 Eighth Avenue (corner of W. 19th St.) please call 212- 691-9740 or e-mail: staff @ joyce.org.

FIRE NOTICE: The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or other emergency, please do not run — WALK TO THAT EXIT.

WARNING:
The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside this theater without the written permission of the management is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and may be held liable for money damages.
The Trinayan Collective

The Trinayan Collective

Photo © & courtesy of Jay Mandal


The Trinayan Collective

The Trinayan Collective

Photo © & courtesy of Jay Mandal


The Trinayan Collective

The Trinayan Collective

Photo © & courtesy of Jay Mandal


The Trinayan Collective

The Trinayan Collective

Photo © & courtesy of Jay Mandal

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