Photo: Devansh Jhaveri
Nrityavandan: Ode to Dance
“Nrityavandan: Ode to Dance” is a full-length Kathak work that highlights classical compositions such as thumri and tarana within a contemporary sensibility. The work premiered as an ensemble production in Tokyo upon invitation and has been remounted as a solo piece set to recorded music by Hriday Desai and Vikas Mishra.
"Nrityavandan” showcases the range, complexity, and contemporaneity of the form as well as Kathak’s intimate connection with Hindustani classical music. It can be presented as a full-length work or excerpted as part of a mixed bill showcase.
All audiences are welcome to experience this work in Kathak, a South Asian classical dance form known globally for its pirouettes, strong footwork, and lyrical movements.
Fiana Kawane
Photo: Devansh Jhaveri
Choreographer: Fiana Kawane
Key Artistic Collaborators: Choreographer & Performer: Fiana Kawane
Music: Hriday Desai (music director, vocals, string instrument) and Vikas Mishra (percussion)
Performance type: This production is built for the theatre. It is adaptable to outdoors and alternative spaces. Full length work or mixed program.
How do you define this work: Dance, multidisciplinary, live performance.
Length of performance: 55 minutes plus or excerpted in mixed (15 minutes) or split bill (30 minutes)
Audience type: General Audience, Children/Family
General Technical Requirements:
—Audio playback
—One stand microphone
—One microphone at foot-level to capture footwork sounds
—Flooring that is smooth, grip-free, and clean for barefoot dancing, footwork sounds, and spins
Does the work require tech residency: Welcome the opportunity for a tech residency.
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 1
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 1
Availabilities: 2024 Spring Season (Mar-Jun), 2024/25 season, & 2025/26 season
Fiana Kawane (she/her) is a dance artist and choreographer specializing in movement vocabularies rooted in Kathak. She trained in Kathak at Kadamb, an institute founded-directed by Kumudini Lakhia in India. Fiana has performed as part of dance companies and independently across countries such as India, Pakistan, Canada, Japan, and France in over 100+ performances. Apart from her ongoing short choreographies such as blueblueblue, she has independently directed a full-length dance production, “Nrityavandan: An Ode to Dance”. Her work has been presented with the Dance Centre, New Works, Vines Art Society, and Evergreen Cultural Centre among others. Her PhD research on South Asian diasporic poetry and ecology intersects intimately with her dance practice. She is an artist in residence with Dance Victoria for the '23-'24 season.
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
Dance Centre — Discover Dance
September 28, 2023
Faris Theatre, Vancouver
New Works — All Over the Map
August 13, 2023
Granville Island, Vancouver
Project Details
Community Engagement
—Master Class in Kathak for those with prior dance experience in any form
—Lecture Demonstration on Kathak for all (requires projector)
—Movement Workshop based on Kathak for all ages and experiences
Intended Community: youth and seniors, general public, local residents, dance professionals (particularly youth and emerging)
Outreach activities can be scheduled at after school hours or on weekends.
Fees commensurate with CARFAC/CADA West rates.
General requirements: Audio playback, and studio space/hall/outdoor space with flooring suitable for barefoot usage.
—Invitations to local music and dance artists to collaborate on a live segment
—Invitations to local residents to participate in a site-specific 5-10 minute choreography (requires 2-3 days of workshopping) to be presented as part of Nrityavandan's opening
Examples of community engagement:
—After the premier in Tokyo, Nrityavandan toured with a series of participatory workshops and lec-dems across public schools, community centres, and temporary shelters in Ofunato, a tsunami-devastated region in Japan | Multi-day
—Movement Workshop Based on Kathak with Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival and BC Culture Days (October 2023) | 1 hour
Contact information
Fiana Kawane, fianakawane@gmail.com
Website: fianakawane.com
Instagram: @fianakawane
Twitter: @fleshlywriting
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fianak