Prakriti: A History of the Present
“Prakriti: A History of the Present” is an exploration into how we, humanity, have arrived to our present day climate. We seek to understand why we can be so unwilling to listen to views, beliefs or behaviors different from our own. We journey to our most primitive/primal times to discover our need for tribes, reactions to the different, and ability to find balance.
The initial stages in the development of this production involved discussions, interviews and surveys to study people's reaction and their means to find balance in the current social-political environment. A work-in-progress showing was completed in September 2017 at Chicago Fringe Festival to experiment with choreography rooted in Indian classical dance, Indian tribal and folk dance, the South Indian martial art form of Kalaripayattu, and Western modern/contemporary dance forms and performance art inspired by daily life routine, nature elements, primal movements and vocals.
The full multidisciplinary iteration culminates September 28th and 29th 2018. This multimedia production is a collaborative of movement, music and visual art. Music composer Bob Garrett, Filmmaker Shawn Convey, Light Designer Geoffrey Bushor collaborate to bring Ishti's vision to life.
For tickets and further information, visit us here.
For press and marketing inquiries, please contact August Forte: august@novo.net, 773-278-6686
This project is partially supported by an Individual Artist Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. It is also supported by Tribhang: a non-profit organization that believes in “Art with Purpose”.
Photography from the 2017 work in progress showing by Srikant Chandan.
Reviews
Primal Movement meets Contemporary Times by Picture This Post
Highlights and Lowlights from the Eighth Annual Chicago Fringe Festival by Chicago Reader