Nova Bhattacharya’s Svāhā!

“In the hour that separates its rousingly cacophonous opening from its joyously freewheeling finale, choreographer Nova Bhattacharya’s new work “Svāhā!” takes audiences on an imaginative journey into the heart of dance as a transformative experience and a way of bringing people together.“

– Michael Crabb, Toronto Star

 “…a contemporary performance inspired by women, rituals of life and love, birth and death, and the way women come together to create community.”

– Aparita Bhandari, CBC

Nova Bhattacharya‘s Svāhā! is a powerful testament to the cathartic nature of performance to unite community in strength, laughter, beauty, and shared joy.This vibrant ode to rites and rituals brings together over 30 performers in movement vocabularies that transcend formal dance conventions. Through universal languages of movement, acts of mourning, worship, and celebration are made tangibly whole. From communion and solidarity comes a work brimming with life, colour, and revelry of every hue.More than an exclamation made to proclaim an offering, Svāhā! is a shouted riposte to the loss, isolation, and social fracture of recent years and an expression of togetherness made tangible. Vibrating with life, love, and the profound pleasure of movement, it is a reminder of our shared existence and a return to wholeness and abundance.

Pre-show Talk 7:15 pm each night in the Vancouver Playhouse Upper Lobby
Moderator: Jai Govinda
Guest: Nova Bhattacharya

Show 8:00 PM

DIGITAL PROGRAM LINKED HERE