TO Live presents Svāhā! by Nova Bhattacharya an offering of dance, music, and joy on September 16, 17 & 18, 2022. Produced by Nova Dance in partnership with Citadel + Compagnie. Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund and TO Live.
(July 5, 2022 – Toronto, ON) – Svāhā! is a celebration of dance as a revitalizing ritual that brings us closer together. Inspired by women and the act of gathering, the work is an oblation of movement, music, colours and sensations. Created by award-winning choreographer Nova Bhattacharya, Svāhā! embodies the transformative power of dance, expressing the uniqueness of the individual and the value of community. A Sanskrit exclamation used when making offerings, Svāhā! asks “how can we be better together?”
After a two-year delay due to COVID-19, Svāhā! will make its long-awaited world premiere in Toronto at the Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, on September 16 and 17 at 8:00pm and September 18 at 2:00pm.
Joining Bhattacharya onstage is a cast of 20 women whose practices reflect a diversity of dance forms. Svāhā! also features original composition and musical direction by Ed Hanley, live accompaniment by Ed Hanley and Gurtej Hunjan, lighting design by Simon Rossiter and costumes by Sage Paul.
“I have always been fascinated by seeing differences on stage – different dancers interpreting the same intentions and different body types mastering the same movement material. This fascination has manifested itself in the casting of artists whose technical training and cultural perspectives are different from my own, alongside those with whom I have steps and stories in common,” says Bhattacharya.
Dancers, musicians, and designers were led by Bhattacharya to continue working on the piece throughout the pandemic, with sporadic creation phases and rehearsals often taking place online. The ritual of gathering became a life-giving element for Bhattacharya and the artists, transforming Svāhā! as the pandemic transformed us all.
TO Live Vice-President of Programming, Josephine Ridge, added “TO Live’s involvement with Svāhā! dates to 2018 and stretches from concept to presentation. After the pandemic caused its postponement, when restrictions allowed, the company continued to create and rehearse in our studios. Svāhā! Is a key part of TO Live’s Fall season and an event to which all Toronto can look forward. The opening on September 16 will mark the culmination of years of creative endeavor and we are exceptionally proud to be presenting Svāhā!, a world premiere from Toronto’s own Nova Bhattacharya.”
Produced by Nova Dance in partnership with Citadel + Compagnie, with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, TO Live, Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Metcalf Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, DanceHouse, Indian Summer Music Festival, Simon Fraser University, The National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space Program and The Theatre Centre.
Founded by Nova Bhattacharya in 2008, Nova Dance brings new ideas to dance, re-inventing the possibilities of the art. The company breaks down conventions and encourages new talent with the best and most exciting in performance the world over. Nova Dance works with artists from many art forms and a multitude of backgrounds to create a community that celebrates the life-force of dance in our lives.