Courtyard Dancers creates and stages contemporary Indian dance based on classical and folk forms. We are interested in developing communities of artists and audiences who experience dance in terms of both aesthetic and civic engagement. We believe that artistic creations should respond to social change. We juxtapose the beauty of the classical forms with everyday movements to create our own collages of life. Our vision is to make dance relevant to lived experiences. While we work with Indian dance forms that are deeply rooted in traditions, we mold them to engage the contemporary. We believe that tradition and contemporary are not oppositional, but are best understood as legacies, connections, and transformations. Our works strive to dissolve binaries of east and west, and mind and body, without losing cultural specificity. We strive for sustainable and pluralistic communities that can acknowledge and bridge differences. We offer regular classes, workshops, research, performance opportunities, and dialogue. We hope to take Indian dance to a new era of understanding, exchange, and excellence.
Spring Semester Classes 2012
January 15 - May 13
Live tabla by Ustad Aqeel Bhatti
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Watch Pallabi's latest video
Pallabi Chakravorty from Leeway Foundation on Vimeo.
Dance Advance (a program of the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage) • Leeway Foundation •
Asian Arts Initiative • PositiveSpace • The Greater Philadelphia Women's Studies Consortium •
Painted Bride Art Center • Bryn Mawr College • Swarthmore College • Dakshina