Superstar dancer, choreographer and guru Anandavalli’s incredible 50-plus year career has taken her all over the world, bringing traditional Indian movement and music to rapt audiences. Moving to Sydney in 1984, she went on to forge Homebush-based Lingalayam Dance Company, bringing her twist on the ancient forms of Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dance to Australians across the country. Adding a contemporary twist, the company also folds performance art and intricate design into show-stopping works.
On Sunday, September 20 at 5pm, Riverside Theatres Digital will stream its latest performance, Pancha Nadai, direct to your home for one night only. Pancha means ‘five’, with Nadai referring to rhythmic syllables. The piece picks up the basic building blocks of her native Southern Indian dance: beats of three (tisram), four (chatusram), five (khandam), seven (misram), and nine (sankeernam).
Debuting at 5pm, the livestreamed show will include four movements that traverse the traditional to the contemporary, in much the same way as Anandavalli’s career. If you haven’t had a chance to witness her choreography before, you’re in for a real treat. Expect explosive visual storytelling and intriguing emotional undercurrents. Lingalayam’s work embraced the powerful female forces the thrive within Indian mythology.
“In these strange and unfathomable times, we at Lingalayam feel truly blessed to be able to come together at our rehearsal space and be in that fortunate position to create,” Anandvalli says. “For myself and the dancers, this is an integral part of our lives, and gives us immense healing. It’s an honour to be able to share Pancha Nadai with our cherished audience in these trying times, and a big thank you to Robert Love and the team at Riverside Theatres for offering us this digital platform”.
Even better, the multi-camera captured show is yours for a pay-what-you-like price, starting from $12. All proceeds go towards supporting the artists and the venue as Sydney gradually re-emerges from hibernation and theatres negotiate the painstaking return to welcoming audiences back in real life. For now, streaming Pancha Nadai is a brilliant way to end your week with a spectacular boogie without even having to get up off the sofa. Though joining in at home is actively encouraged.
Inspired by cross-cultural creativitiy? Check out Liveworks' latets line-up.
