CANCELED

Free public programming, presented by ComEd! Join us in the Aon Grand Ballroom for Holi, a Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.”

There will be powder throwing at the East End Plaza and Ishti will be performing at 2:45 PM. Check out this amazing line-up!

• 1:00pm – 1:10pm | Peirce Elementary School

• 1:10pm – 1:35pm | Chitrahar Cultural Academy

• 1:40pm – 2:05pm | Bollywood Groove

• 2:10pm – 2:45pm | Surabhi Ensemble

• 2:45pm – 3:00pm | Ishti Dance

• 3:00pm – 3:45pm | Funkadesi

• 3:45pm – 4:00pm | Mandala Arts

• 4:00pm – 5:00pm | Karsh Kale with Max Zt and Priya Darshini

Banks Performance Project and Experimental Station are excited to launch The Artists Series! The Artists Series I will feature dance works-in-progress by Karielle Williams, Vernon Gooden, and Ishti Dance Collaborative.

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Experimental Station
6100 S. Blackstone Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637

Doors: 6:30
Show: 7:00

Free! RSVP at https://www.banksperformanceproject.org/event-tickets/the-artist-series-tas

This Navaratri, join Ishti Dance Collaborative in a fun and free Garba / Raas workshop!

Navaratri spans nine nights (and ten days) and is celebrated every year in the autumn. The festival honors Durga Devi and the battle and victory of Good over Evil.

Garba is a folk dance, where people of different background and skills join and form concentric circles. The circles can grow or shrink, reaching sizes of 100s, sometimes 1000s of people, dancing and clapping in circular moves, in their traditional costumes, at the same time.

This social dance celebrates and honors the Devi within all of us. 

Workshop is free to attend and is designed for all ages and skill levels.

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti presents "Pulse of India: An Evening of Folk Dance & Music" 
(Bhangra of Punjab, Raas-Garba of Gujarat, Kalbelia and Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Sambalpuri from Odisha) 

DJ and Percussion: Bob Garret 

Percussion: Maninder Singh

The 22nd Annual Chicago SummerDance!
#ChicagoSummerDance
Thursdays-Sundays, June 28-August 25, 2018
Swing, waltz, cha-cha...or simply enjoy the music at the largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory, one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing. All FREE! 
For more info please visit www.ChicagoSummerDance.org

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti presents "Pulse of India: An Evening of Folk Dance & Music" 
(Bhangra and Giddha of Punjab, Raas-Garba of Gujarat, Kalbelia and Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Sambalpuri from Odisha) 

DJ and Percussion: Bob Garret 

Percussion: Maninder Singh

The 22nd Annual Chicago SummerDance!
#ChicagoSummerDance
Thursdays-Sundays, June 28-August 25, 2018
Swing, waltz, cha-cha...or simply enjoy the music at the largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory, one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing. All FREE! 
For more info please visit www.ChicagoSummerDance.org

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Join us at Navy Pier for Global Connections, a celebration of the diverse people and cultures that make up Chicago’s local character. Each of the free events, at the Aon Grand Ballroom, in this series at Navy Pier will feature music, dance, art and more from a variety of cultures, promising an exciting and enriching experience for all ages and cultural backgrounds.

Global Connections: Holi

Join us in the Aon Grand Ballroom for a Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.”

For more info on Global Connections, visit: https://navypier.org/explore/programming-events/global-connections/

We're collaborating with the lovely Vika Mitlyng for a performance of Indian and Ruska Romani Folk dances! Join us as we showcase the folk dances and highlight the similarities between the seemingly disparate cultures. 

Check out footage from Kinnari and Vika's Brunch & Learns to see more. 

Ishti is excited to announce that you will have 3 FREE opportunities to see our production "seeking to be" with Nights Out in the Parks! Each performance will be a little different. So catch all 3 shows!

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Ishti presents

SARMISHTHA SARKAR in "Durdhara: The Unstoppable"

Don't miss this riveting performance on Amba, heroine of the Mahabharata, who's misfortunes in life result in feelings of revenge to destroy the great Bhishma! 

Sarmishtha Sarkar took her first step into Bharat Natyam at a very early age. Under the able tutelage of teachers like Padmashri Guru Chattuni Panicker and Guru Pathagudy Ramaswamy, the formative years of her life were steeped in the vigorous training required to perfect the art form. Dancing soon became an intense passion with her and it led her to become closely associated with the renowned Mrinalini Sarabhai’s Darpana Academy of Performing Arts for two decades. Experiencing an urge to add more dimensions to her creativity she started her own classical dance school in 1996, in Ahmedabad, “Aavirbhaav School of Creative Arts”.

Sarmishtha’s choreographic presentations encompass pure classical pieces in the Bharat Natyam style and also experiment with the fusion of the classical, contemporary and folk styles, which result in a unique, creative portrayal of the merging of diverse artistic endeavors. Using dance as a medium of expression, she has created several dance pieces related to topical, environment and social issues.

Purchase tickets at: ishtipresentsdurdhara.eventbrite.com

Sarmishtha Sarkar, Kinnari Vora and Preeti Veerlapati discuss Durdhara on WBEZ's segment Weekend Passport!

Ishti is excited to announce that you will have 3 FREE opportunities to see our production "seeking to be" with Nights Out in the Parks! Each performance will be a little different. So catch all 3 shows!

On July 6, we are excited to present Sarmishtha Sarkar at Nichols Park. Catch her full length performance at Logan Center for the Performing Arts on July 8. 

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Ishti is working on its new dance production "Aadi" to be premiered at the 2017 Chicago Fringe Festival. We want to explore the modern human behavior from evolutionary psychology, focusing on the primal, social and spiritual evolution. Part of our research includes discussing your views on modern human behavior. We would love to hear your voices.