CounterPulse: Devi, Part One, a traditional kathak performance by Rukhmani Mehta

CounterPulse and Leela Dance Collective announce today the co-production and world premiere of Devi, Part One, a traditional kathak performance by Rukhmani Mehta* (previously Rina Mehta), June 9 and 10, 8 pm at CounterPulse. Featuring live classical music with artists from India and New York including Jayanta Banerjee (sitar), Jay Gandhi (bansuri) and Satya Prakash (tabla).

*Ms. Mehta is a senior disciple of renowned kathak master, Pt. Chitresh Das and Founding Artist of Leela Dance Collective.

The first half of Devi, Part One features the traditional kathak solo, where audiences have the opportunity to experience the kathak tradition in its original intent and form. The second half of the performance features an abstract interpretation and exploration of the tradition, where Mehta looks at how Indian mythology understands and expresses the nature of the feminine.

Devi, Part One represents Mehta’s personal inquiry into two Hindu goddesses – Lakshmi and Saraswati. Although there are countless goddesses in the Hindu pantheon, these two hold a special place in Mehta’s inner life. Each goddess possesses markedly human characteristics and is surrounded by dramatic and evocative myths and legends; beyond that each goddess represents a fundamental energy that is present in all of us. This energy is the subject of Meta’s inquiry.

Leela Dance Collective Founding Artist Rukhmani Mehta says of her new work:

“In Devi, Part One, using kathak dance as a medium, I explore the energies associated with Lakshmi and Saraswati- two of the goddesses most associated with natural elements – namely the earth in its fertility and abundance and water in its ability to cleanse, renew, flow and give life.”

About the Kathak Dance Form

The traditional kathak solo is a tour-de-force performance of dance, music, poetry, and storytelling. Unproduced, highly interactive and in large part improvised, the traditional solo is kathak dance in its most raw and unadulterated form. As the name implies, the solo features a single kathak artist in performance along with an ensemble of Hindustani classical musicians (usually including tabla, strings, and vocals) for anywhere between 90 to 120 minutes. In many ways, the solo mirrors the story of India and maps the evolution of kathak dance as it moved from the temples of ancient India to the courts of medieval India to the proscenium stages of modern India. Stories and myths from Hindu mythology are performed alongside repertoire from the Mughal Courts and contemporary innovations and experiments in the form.