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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                  APRIL 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 29

             Nritya Darpan 2026 Showcases Indian

                 Dance, Diversity and Social Themes

            OUR BUREAU
            NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.
                  he Indian Heritage & Cultural
                 Association of New Jersey (IH-
            TCA-NJ) presented Nritya Dar-
            pan 2026 on Saturday, April 10, 2026,
            at the New Brunswick Performing
            Arts Center. Nritya Darpan is widely
            recognized for showcasing powerful
            storytelling through classical and con-
            temporary Indian dance.
                Now in its third consecutive
            sold-out year, the production fea-
            tured  emerging  and  established
            artists from the Indian diaspora,
            presenting  five  uniquely  curated
            works  rooted  in  classical  styles  such   Consulate General of India, New York.  the  1965  Immigration  and  Nation-
            as  Kathak,  Bharatanatyam,  and                                    ality  Act,  the work  was  performed   “DESERT MYTHS”
            Kuchipudi,   while   also   incorpo-    The Program Highlights:     by Nadhi Thekkek, Sruthi Abhishek,    New York’s IMGE Dance Com-
            rating  Western  dance  influences.          “GAJAR”                and Vertika Shrivastava.          pany  blended  Mayurbhanj  Chhau,
                Conceived by Dr. Ashok Chaud-
                                                  Presented by Odissi dancer and
            hary, founder and president of IH-  scholar  Dr.  Kaustavi  Sarkar,  along   “THE WHITE WHALE”        hip-hop,  Bharatanatyam,  and  Kath-
                                                                                                                  ak to explore illusion, survival, and
            CA-NJ, the event aims to promote   with Dr. Deepa Mahadevan, this       Choreographed  by  Kasi  Aysola   transformation. Ishita Mili  and the
            local talent and use the performing   piece drew inspiration from the   of Prakriti Dance (Maryland), this   IMGE ensemble created striking, mi-
            arts to highlight social issues includ-  Pandharpur Vari, a devotional pady-  Kuchipudi-based  interpretation  of   rage-like visual landscapes on stage.
            ing women’s empowerment, men-     atra (collective pilgrimage) to meet   Herman  Melville’s  Moby-Dick  ex-  IHCA-NJ places no restrictions
            tal  health,  human  trafficking,  and   Lord Vitthal.              amined  themes  of  obsession,  fate,   on dance style, music, or language, en-
            LGBTQ+ awareness. This year’s         The  performance  beautifully   and human ambition.             couraging artists to experiment freely
            lineup was selected through a nation-  depicted mythological episodes in-    “WHO AM I”               and present diverse narratives. Found-
            wide submission process and curated   cluding Shree Krishna Janma, Kaliya   New York–based Bharatanatyam   ed  in  2013,  the  volunteer-driven  non-
            by artist Dr. Maya Kulkarni-Chheda.  Mardan, and Arjun Vishad from the   dancer Aishwarya Madhav present-  profit is dedicated to promoting Indian
                This year’s Nritya Darpan has                                                                     cultural heritage in the United States
            been  made  possible  in  part  through   Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.    ed an introspective journey through   through performing arts. In addition to
                                                                                                                  Nritya Darpan, it also organizes Natya
            the Mid Atlantic Folk and Traditional   “ROGUE GESTURES /           a woman’s life stages and her search   Darpan, a multilingual short-play
            Arts -Community Projects Program of      FOREIGN BODIES”            for self-understanding. Using the   festival featuring socially relevant
                                                                                metaphor of a clock and the imagery
            Mid Atlantic Arts, with support from   California-based  Nava  Dance   of a mirror, the piece traced evolving   theater in several Indian languages.
            the National Endowment for the Arts   Theatre blended Bharatanatyam, ex-  identities and concluded with the   Nritya  Darpan  2026  continued
            as well as the support from The Con-  perimental movement, and live mu-  dancer walking through the mirror—  its tradition of sold-out performances,
            sulate  General of  India-New  York.  sic to explore identity and belonging.   symbolizing the oneness of spirit be-  drawing audiences from across the re-
                The evening was inaugurated by   Inspired  by  oral  histories  of  Indian                        gion for an evening celebrating artistic
            Hon. Consul Upendra Negi from the   immigrant  nurses  who  arrived  after   yond physical existence.  excellence and cultural diversity.

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