The Drive East Festival at La MaMa, curated by Sahasra Sambamoorthi and Sridhar Shanmugam, came back for a second year. Bringing over 26 artists to the Lower East Side over the span of seven days, the festival still stands to garner awareness of traditional Indian performing arts: Bharata Natyam, Odissi, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali. The event also featured trad Indian musical tastings using the flute, sitar and table.
Here's how Classicalite's favorites went down...
On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., flutist Ja Jayanth and got into the groove. Learning from his grandmother since the age of four, Ja Jayanth has received several accolades for his bamboo flute talent, including the Best Individual Performer Award from Madras Music Academy and the Sarabashasthri Endowment Prize from Sri KrishnaGana Sabha.
Check out his performance of a composition by Sri T.K. Govinda Rao.
Afterwards, Satya Pradeep, teacher and choreographer of the Nritya Saagaram Dance Academy of New York, performed her takes on Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. In addition to being an incredible talent, Satya Pradeep established a dance school on Long Island to enrich the lives of others. Her Syosset, N.Y. dance school opened in 1993.
Watch below a video of her and her students and see why she has received the Congressional Certificate of Merit from congressman Steve Israel.
Sunday afternoon, Pallavi Das performed an odissi solo. Having been trained in odissi for 17 years, Das has a must-see form and composure, indeed.
Here she is for the India Cultural Society.
