PROGRAM notes

PRESENTED BY CITY OF TORONTO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TOES FOR DANCE, WITH SUPPORT FROM LAKESHORE ARTS

Additional funding provided by the Toronto Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Arts Presentation Fund) and the Lindy Green Family Foundation.

Shive Shive Shive

Shive Shive Shive is an excerpt from Amma Ananda Dayini, a varnam composed by renowned Carnatic musician Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna. Dedicated to the Divine Mother, the composition celebrates her strength, grace, and divine energy. Rooted in the classical vocabulary of Bharatanatyam, the ensemble choreography brings together intricate rhythmic patterns, expressive gestures, and dynamic formations, highlighting the dancers' musicality, precision, and collective energy. Choreographed by Atri Nundy, the work features graduates of Sampradaya Dance Academy who have trained under Atri and Lata Pada, the Academy's Founder and Artistic Director. The piece celebrates their shared artistic journey and continued dedication to Bharatanatyam.

Dancer: Sanjana Ambegaonkar

Dancer: Vaishnavi Rameshkumar

Dancer: Srushti Rajgopal

Dancer: Dinu Thilakasena

Dancer: Naynika Nair

Music Composer: Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna

Vocalist: Balu Sharma

Nattuvangham: D.V. Prasanna Kumar

Mridangam:

Violin:

Flute:

Choreographer: Atri Nundy

CON

CON — Vietnamese for "child" is a new dance work by KINAJ about the weight and warmth of what is carried between generations within a family — the parent who survived war and scarcity to give their children another life, and the children now learning what it means to carry that debt forward, in love rather than repayment. Shaped by a creative process marked by illness, anticipatory grief and one artist's own passage into motherhood, CON moves through báo hiếu — the Vietnamese duty to repay a debt of gratitude that can never quite be paid back. Expect grief and tenderness in the same breath, in this cross-genre choreography that blends Hip Hop and Contemporary styles.

Dancer/Choreographer: Kin Nguien

Dancer/Choreographer: AJ Velasco

Dancer: Tyler Leung

Dancer: Reese Villanueva

Dancer: Kathy Vuu

Mentor + Artistic Support: Karen Kaeja

Music Producer: Alex Mac

Intermission (20 mins)

Unrequited

Unrequited is a Bharatanatyam solo by Atri Nundy. Drawn from the world of the Mahabharata, the piece explores the untold emotional landscape of Panchali; centering on her connection with Karna and the possibility of a love that can never be realized. Instead of retelling the familiar narrative of Panchali as wife, queen and victim, this dance performance explores the intimate and complex interior world of a woman confronting a love that can never belong to her and what happens when duty ultimately demands that desire be sacrificed. At its heart, Unrequited is an exploration of the lives we might have lived if circumstances had been different.

Dancer/Choreographer: Atri Nundy

Composer and Vocalist: Revathy Kumar

Violinist: Rampragash Saravabavan

Mridangam: Ashwin Balachandran

Nattuvangam: Atri Nundy

Dramaturg and Lyricist: Harikishan S. Nair

TOES FOR DANCE team

Executive/Co-Artistic Director, Residency Director:

David Norsworthy

Co-Artistic Director:

Chantelle Good

Associate Artistic Director:

Tanveer Alam

Artistic Producer, Community Engagement:

Keira Marie Forde

Artistic Producer, Education + Audience Relations:

Bri Clarke

Marketing Manager:

Shannon Widdis

Communications + Access Coordinator:

Cass Cabral Pucci

Technical Director/Lighting Designer:

Christopher-Elizabeth

Stage Manager:

Sofia Di Cicco

ASSEMBLY HALL TEAM

Community Cultural Coordinator:

Suzy Broderick

Arts Program Officer:

Zarita Adhiambo

Senior Arts Consultant:

Vanessa Higgs

Lead Technical Staff:

Tiffany Yaw

Technical Assistant:

Donal Foley

TFD Board of DIRECTORS

Dianne B. Oliveira, Anne Fullerton, Ellis Martin-Wylie, Sindhu Nair, Carmelina Martin, Miquelon Rodriguez

Special Thanks

City of Toronto, Lakeshore Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Arts Presentation Fund), Lindy Green Family Foundation, ĀNANDAM, National Ballet of Canada, Pivot Dancer and Sol Dance Collective