Songs of Resistance and Freedom
About the Show
Save the Date!
Join us for "Songs of Resistance & Freedom" – a full-day celebration of art, culture, and empowerment! Experience the magic of Indian classical dance and the vibrancy of salsa together at Navatman.
In 2024, Navatman and Baila Society joined forces for a uniquely New York City experience: a place where two women-led arts organizations based on cultural traditions of the Afro-Cuban arts (salsa) and Indian arts (Bharatanatyam, kathak, hindustani and Carnatic music) come together.
The two spaces share how the force of artists and students working together can promote, define, and create a shared sense of stability, strength, safety, joy, and love within communities at large - particularly through artistic expression and endeavors.
Leaders Sahasra Sambamoorthi and Ahtoy Juliana have been working in their fields for 30+ years, gathering experience and knowledge from the best of the best around the world with the hope that communities like Navatman and Baila Society can help create greater impact and change together than apart. Sahasra Sambamoorthi has been noted as a "young trailblazer...on the crest of the wave leading us towards a new understanding of South Asian arts in the United States", and Ahtoy Juliana holds multiple world championship titles under her belt and is responsible for helping shape the salsa scene in NYC for the last 15+ years.
Featuring:
(World premiere with live music) - Songs of Resistance - 3:00 pm to 3:40 pm
Shared future vision with Baila Society and reflections from Navatman students: why we have come together and why it matters for you - 3:40 pm to 4:00 pm
(World premiere with live music) - Songs of Freedom - 4:00 pm to 4:40 pm
Salsa lesson + how salsa and kathak are more related than we realize 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm
A vibrant holiday party and social to cap off the day! 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
**Please note that the day may start and end 1 hour earlier. We will confirm this by Nov 18.
Date: 12/15/24
Location: Navatman Theater & Studio, NYC
Don’t miss this incredible journey of tradition, rhythm, and empowerment!
Join us for "Songs of Resistance & Freedom" – a full-day celebration of art, culture, and empowerment! Experience the magic of Indian classical dance and the vibrancy of salsa together at Navatman.
In 2024, Navatman and Baila Society joined forces for a uniquely New York City experience: a place where two women-led arts organizations based on cultural traditions of the Afro-Cuban arts (salsa) and Indian arts (Bharatanatyam, kathak, hindustani and Carnatic music) come together.
The two spaces share how the force of artists and students working together can promote, define, and create a shared sense of stability, strength, safety, joy, and love within communities at large - particularly through artistic expression and endeavors.
Leaders Sahasra Sambamoorthi and Ahtoy Juliana have been working in their fields for 30+ years, gathering experience and knowledge from the best of the best around the world with the hope that communities like Navatman and Baila Society can help create greater impact and change together than apart. Sahasra Sambamoorthi has been noted as a "young trailblazer...on the crest of the wave leading us towards a new understanding of South Asian arts in the United States", and Ahtoy Juliana holds multiple world championship titles under her belt and is responsible for helping shape the salsa scene in NYC for the last 15+ years.
Featuring:
(World premiere with live music) - Songs of Resistance - 3:00 pm to 3:40 pm
Shared future vision with Baila Society and reflections from Navatman students: why we have come together and why it matters for you - 3:40 pm to 4:00 pm
(World premiere with live music) - Songs of Freedom - 4:00 pm to 4:40 pm
Salsa lesson + how salsa and kathak are more related than we realize 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm
A vibrant holiday party and social to cap off the day! 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
**Please note that the day may start and end 1 hour earlier. We will confirm this by Nov 18.
Date: 12/15/24
Location: Navatman Theater & Studio, NYC
Don’t miss this incredible journey of tradition, rhythm, and empowerment!
|
Meet the ArtistsSahasra Sambamoorthi
Sahasra Sambamoorthi's unique approach to bharatanatyam comes from the combination of her Vazhoor style training from Smt. Kalaimamani Ramya Ramnarayan and many years of training in ballet and gymnastics. Her approach to the body becomes one based on muscle alignment and strength that come through from her gymnastics, precision and exacting physics of the body from ballet, and an individual technical approach from bharatanatyam. She has been teaching since she was 15, first at the Nrithyanjali Institute of Dance, then with individual students through her early 20s and college, helping her dance troupe Columbia Taal train, and finally, at Navatman. She continues to train under Bijayini Satpathy, Pavithra Reddy and Surupa Sen at Nrityagram in Odissi, Kishore Mosalikanti in Kuchipudi, and Kathak under Prashant Shah. Ahtoy Juliana
Ahtoy Juliana is the Artistic Director of BAILA Society (BASo), a dynamic Latin dance and theater company celebrating Latin dance and music heritage through performances, an online dance academy, live classes, and community events. A professional dancer and choreographer, her work spans international dance festivals, musical revues, TV, and film, including In the Heights. Ahtoy’s early training began in classical ballet with the Houston and San Francisco Ballet Companies, later transitioning to salsa with Santo Rico Dance Company before co-founding BASo in 2006. She has performed globally with esteemed groups like Team Fajardo, The Hustle Collective, and The New York Movement, and partners Billy Fajardo and Edwin Tolentino. Ahtoy is a World Latin Hustle Champion, a Rising Star Champion in DanceSport Theater Arts, and a founding judge of the World Salsa Summit. She recently joined Do the Hustle, featured at Jacob’s Pillow and the Guggenheim Museum. A Columbia University graduate student and aspiring psychiatric epidemiologist, Ahtoy has conducted national research, published scholarly articles, and remains active in both the academic and dance worlds. Alongside BASo co-founders Daniel Enskat and Joseph Rivera, Ahtoy has performed and taught at salsa congresses, cruises, and prestigious events, sharing stages with icons like Frankie Martinez and Eddie Torres. Their work promotes the artistry and sophistication of salsa on global and domestic stages. Edwin Tolentino
Taniya Panda (singer, main composer)
Puneet Panda (nattuvangam)
Sai
Sanjay Natesan
Sanjay Natesan is currently under the tutelage of Kalaimamani Sri. Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan. Sanjay has performed in several music and dance ensembles, and arangetram recitals, and frequently accompanies musicians from around the world. Sanjay has won many competitions including 1st place in the Senior Percussion Competition organized by CMANA in 2019. He also performs regularly for the Chennai December Music Season. Sanjay is the recipient of the 2019 Dutchess County Executive Arts Award for “The Student with Exceptional Promise in the Arts”. In addition to Mridangam, he is trained in Carnatic Vocal, Carnatic Flute, and other Indian percussion instruments such as Kanjira and Tabla. Sanjay is a rising Junior at Columbia University and is pursuing a degree in computer science and economics. |