Dances of India ~ Sharing the power and beauty of dance through performances, education, cultural presentations and outreach activities

Dances of India's 31st Annual Performance--Akbar's Magic Trunk--featuring magician Keith Jozsef--on Sep. 19th-21st, 2008, at Washington U's Edison Theatre. (See Events)

Thank you for participating in our first Cultural Connections Series. Rashmi, Madhavan, Radhika Jain, and Shamaita Muzumdar were excellent dancers. The St. Louis County Library community was fortunate to have your group share Indian culture with them.

Bianca Roberts
Manager, Youth Services,
St. Louis County Library

The level of technical expertise and personal style was magical. Everyone was mesmerized with the dancer's subtle movements and brilliant smiles. I especially appreciated the pose at the end which depicted the deities currently in our Asian galleries. It was a lovely touch and connected so well with what we do here at the Museum.

Catherine Cathers
Associate Educator,
St. Louis Art Museum

Dances of India participating artists are professionals (8) and dance graduates (10) from various schools. In addition, there are 40 students with varying talents and skills.

In fiscal 2008 Dances of India will celebrate its 30th anniversary as the oldest East Indian dance company in Missouri, a significant milestone of any arts organization. Celebrating 30 years of programming Dances of India has four programs.

Dances of India has an eclectic collection of works in its repertoire; along with traditional solos, duets, anddance dramas, such as The Ramayana, The Magic Swan (based on a classic Indian myth) and 2007’s Narasimha, the company has pushed the boundaries of traditional Indian dance with the following pieces:

The Nutcracker and Swan Lake—traditional Indian dance done to Tchaikovsky’s original score. (Swan Lake was performed in collaboration with Dance St. Louis)
Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer’s Night Dream—all these pieces incorporated traditional Indian dance to a “fusion” music—i.e., music which mingles both Western and Indian beats and melodies.
Tara—a Tibetan Buddhist dance drama, using the chanting of Buddhist monks in music fused with both Indian and Tibetan melodies.
Rhapsody for the Blue Gods—a truly unique confection of American melodies and Indian rhythms! A script narrating episodes from the life of Rama and Krishna, Hinduism’s blue deities, was recorded over George Gershwin’s beloved classics An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue. Indian dance was performed to the music.
An Incantation of Incarnation—the Ten Wondrous Lives of Vishnu—to be performed in 2007, one of Dances of India’s most unique creations yet. (See 2007-2008 Season)

Dances of India partners with the St. Louis Public Schools, the Vaughn Cultural Center and the University of Missouri at St. Louis (UMSL) to present East Indian arts in a educational curriculum each spring and fall to more than 2500 area students (ages 6-13) a large proportion of whom are African-American. The purpose for these presentations is to promote arts education and encourage children at an early age to be more open and receptive to foreign traditions.

Dances of India has performed in several regional cultural institutions such as the International Institute, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the St. Louis County Library system. Other public and private venues for artistic demonstrations include senior citizens centers and high schools. Approximately 3000 children and adults participate in our outreach activities annually.

Dances of India sponsors and coordinates an annual dance showcase representing various dance styles in the spring of each year (ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip-hop, folk, flamenco, African, middle Eastern, East Indian, and others). In 2008, more than 25 companies will be participating. Please see the Events page for more information.