Lecture-Demonstration on Bharatanatyam at Zoukak Studio

The Zoukak Theatre Company is hosting a lecture with Rozina Gilani about Bharatanatyam, an ancient classical dance form of Tamil Nadu, South India, which embodies dance, drama, poetry, music and mythology to create a highly stylized art form.

While this dance is historically a solo art form, performed in Hindu temples as a means of worship and devotion, Bharatanatyam has taken to the international stage in modern times and is performed outside of the religious context

Rozina will situate this rich art form historically and demonstrate how it performs as confluence of many artistic genres, dance, theater, music and literature. She will familiarize the audience with some of the basic footwork (adavus) and hand gestures (mudras/hastas) which are used to depict stories of the ages and serve as the foundation of her original choreography and coursework. Finally, Rozina will reflect on how dance expression has guided her work over the years, highlighting the core components of her workshops.

Free entrance