Tale of a Kathaka 

Antara’s award-winning one-woman show weaves her personal narrative of life through dance, music, and a love of Indian cinema. A traditional kathak solo, Antara brings to life improvised rhythms, gat-bhao, where she plays all the characters of an episodic story, the joy of pure dance in tarana (song), and her interpretation of Das’ iconic “Journey of a Steam Engine” through her exemplary footwork and slapping sounds as fast as 12 sounds per second.

This evening length (90 minutes) performance features live musicians on percussion (tabla), strings (sitar/sarod/sarangi/violin), and vocals.

Anokhi Ada

Anokhi Ada translates to “unique style,” and perfectly describes this ensemble work by Antara Asthaayi Dance. A series of short, delightful, melodic pieces take you from the dawn of kathak to the present. Beginning with the solo ‘kathakas,’ or storytellers of thousands of years ago, who roamed through villages, sharing the happenings of the world and the great epics; the evening flows into the Moghul Courts with tarana & thumri, the vibrant dances of Rajasthan, classic songs of Indian cinema, and Sufi-inspired dances by members of the whole ensemble. A riot of color, exquisite costumes, a mix of original compositions and nostalgic arrangements, “Anokhi Ada” is perfect for an audience otherwise dubious of their penchant for classical dance, as well as aficionados of the classical arts.

This evening length (90 minutes) performance features live musicians on percussion (tabla), strings (sitar/sarod/sarangi/violin), and vocals.

Dancing Mathematics 

How is the equation 3x + 2y = z relevant to a dance floor? How do you divide 16 into 3 equal parts—and then dance it? Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and teacher Antara Bhardwaj reveals the inherent mathematics in Hindustani music through the instrument of dance. Wearing two pounds of ankle bells, her feet move in complex rhythmic patterns and permutations at speeds of up to 12 slaps per second.

“Dancing Mathematics” has been featured repeatedly at San Francisco’s “Exploratorium” museum, and is a 20-40 minute presentation featuring Antara Bhardwaj in a lecture-demonstration format, including audience participation.

Please contact us for booking inquiries.