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Mandala Arts presents Śiva Bhāva, an intimate performance dedicated to dance and love.
Mandala South Asian Performing Arts opens its 11th season with the world premiere of Śiva Bhāva: Love, Care, and the Cosmos, an intimate performance of South Asian dance and music dedicated to dance and love. Performances take place February 20–22, 2026 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago.
A fusion of three styles of South Asian classical dance—Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi— Śiva Bhāva explores how Shiva, a deity revered across South Asian spiritual practices, embodies both collective and individual expressions of love as conveyed through sacred art forms. This force is understood as both form and formlessness—as expansive as the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), yet as intimate and personal as breathing. By invoking this divine energy, the program honors dance as a spiritual offering, an embodied experience, and a timeless expression of love.
This 75-minute production is enriched by a tapestry of Indian artistic traditions, featuring multiple languages and dance forms, and accompanied by a live South Asian orchestra. Performers include dancers/choreographers Anindita Anaam, Shruti Parthasarathy, and Misha Talapatra (see bios below). Each artist is choreographing their own work, with Parthasarathy providing the overall concept and direction.
A fusion of three styles of South Asian classical dance—Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi— Śiva Bhāva explores how Shiva, a deity revered across South Asian spiritual practices, embodies both collective and individual expressions of love as conveyed through sacred art forms. This force is understood as both form and formlessness—as expansive as the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), yet as intimate and personal as breathing. By invoking this divine energy, the program honors dance as a spiritual offering, an embodied experience, and a timeless expression of love.
This 75-minute production is enriched by a tapestry of Indian artistic traditions, featuring multiple languages and dance forms, and accompanied by a live South Asian orchestra. Performers include dancers/choreographers Anindita Anaam, Shruti Parthasarathy, and Misha Talapatra (see bios below). Each artist is choreographing their own work, with Parthasarathy providing the overall concept and direction.
“Śiva Bhāva explores energetic coexistence,” said Parthasarathy. “As artists, we feel and express our love for the art in complex and often paradoxical ways. These feelings bear an uncanny resemblance to Shiva’s cosmic energy, where intensity and stillness or restraint and surrender exist together. By giving voice to this symbolism, the choreography and music allow multiplicity to thrive without resolution.”
Artists Bio
Anindita Anaam is a nationally and internationally recognized Kathak artist, celebrated for her evocative storytelling, rhythmic brilliance, and commitment to classical Indian dance. Trained under renowned gurus in the Lucknow and Jaipur gharanas, she has performed at prestigious venues including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Rubin Museum in New York, Harris Theater and Navy Pier in Chicago, and Native Art Center in Toronto, among others. She brings more than two decades of performance and teaching experience, presenting Kathak as both a dynamic classical tradition and a powerful vehicle for cultural dialogue. Her classes and workshops emphasize rhythm (tala), storytelling (abhinaya), and a welcoming space for dancers of all backgrounds. Through her work, she continues to bridge communities and spark curiosity about the beauty and depth of Indian classical arts.
Shruti Parthasarathy is an award-winning Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer trained in a blend of the Vazhuvoor, Pandanallur, and Kalakshetra styles. A disciple of Smt. Medha Hari and a student of Smt. Anitha Guha’s Bharatanjali, she has been immersed in the classical arts for more than 18 years. She completed her arangetram at the age of 11 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai (2013) and has since presented multiple full-length solo recitals and productions across the United States and India. She has performed at prestigious venues including the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Yale Cabaret, The Music Academy (Chennai), and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, which was telecast across 100+ countries and reached more than 2 million viewers. Her work has earned both national and international awards, including the highest honor from the National Arts Foundation and accolades at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, and received state and national press coverage including a short film by PBS.
Misha Talapatra is a dance artist based in Chicago, specializing in the Indian classical dance form of Odissi. Her dance training started at age six in Bharatnatyam under Chaula Thacker (Nadanta) and Rupa Shyamsundram (Nrityollasa Center for Performing Arts). In 2006, she began her Odissi training under one of the foremost exponents of Odissi in the U.S., Sreyashi Dey. After training, she toured nationally and internationally (India) as a principal dancer in her guru’s dance company, Srishti Dances of India. She was also fortunate to receive training from Odissi maestros Manoranjan Pradhan, Ratikanta Mohapatra, Jhelum Paranjape, Rudrakshya, and Bijayini Satpathy. She has performed across the U.S. and India in critically acclaimed productions, dance theater, showcases, and festivals. She is a founder and core member of Aikyam Odissi Dance Collective in Chicago, and she teaches Odissi in the greater Chicago area.
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