Nights Out In The Park: “Through Fish Eyes” by Prakriti Dance
Presented by Kalapriya Chicago
Venue: Clark (Richard) Park, Eleanor Boathouse, South Shore Cultural Center, and Berger (Albert) Park
THROUGH FISH EYES: A DANCE PRODUCTION THAT COMBINES ART, SCIENCE, AND A CALL TO ACTION
“Through Fish Eyes” is a unique performance that utilizes dance to create awareness of and evoke empathy in audiences about our dwindling marine ecosystems. This art-science-dance work follows the relationship between mankind and the ocean, starting at a time when man lived in harmony with nature and ending with the current fragmented world. It brings a voice to water which is all around us in so many forms. The once abundant and thriving ocean has been ravaged by humans. The relationship between man and water is no longer sacred and the damage is done. Humanity is the hand that has been destroyed, but can it now be the hand of change?
This work was initially conceptualized by Kasi Aysola & Madhvi Venkatesh. Research and fieldwork was done at the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia. The creative development of this piece has been funded by the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative, The Boston Foundation, and the Boston Cultural Council.
Performances:
• Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival, Washington DC, 2023
• Jacob’s Pillow 90th Anniversary Festival, Beckett Massachusetts, 2022.
Funding for this performance was supported by Jacob’s Pillow & National
YoungArts Foundation
• Nitya Nritya Festival, Salt Lake City Utah, 2022. Funding for this
performance was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Salt Lake
County, George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, Salt Lake City Arts
Council, Utah Legislature - Utah Division of Arts & Museums
• Jaalam Dance Festival, Tampa Florida, 2021. Funding for this performance
was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, SouthArts, Culture
Builds Florida, Rudram Dance Company
• Kennedy Center, Terrace Theatre, Washington DC, 2019 (premiere)
• Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge Massachusetts, 2018 (work
in progress showing).
“Through Fish Eyes' cannot be classified merely as a Bharatanatyam piece - though it has fast-paced rhythmic sections drawn from the art form's toolkit. It cannot be classified as a Nature drama - though it has marvelous depictions of marine life. It cannot be classified as romantic yearning for the past - though it portrays the idyllic times of yore. At best, 'Through Fish Eyes' can be considered a Call to Arms. It is a devastating depiction of the present and an urgent beseeching to imagine new futures." - Aditya Venkataraman, Narthaki.com
“Transported to a faraway place...dynamic music, intricate movements, percussive detailed footwork impressed a story that was well thought out and executed”
-Raquel Lake, Dance Metro DC
This project has been funded by the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative, The Boston Foundation’s Live Arts Boston program, and the Boston Cultural Council. Prakriti Dance uses the vocabulary of Indian dance to narrate a story that is so relevant to the world today.
Admission is free. For more information please contact Kiran Rajagopalan, ED at 773-669-7177 or visit https://www.kalapriya.org/events.
Artistic Director, Choreographer, & Principal Dancer: Kasi Aysola
Dancers:
Prakriti Dance:
Kasi Aysola
Archana Raja
Madhuvanti Sundararajan
Kalapriya Chicago:
Harini Nilakantan
Kavisha Prajapathi
Sangeeta Chettia
