Traditional Eastern dance meets contemporary Western dance this weekend at the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Storefront Theater. Shirley Mordine’s celebrated, long-running modern company collaborated with Hema Rajagopalan’s company dedicated to the practice and preservation of Bharata Natyam (a classical Indian dance form) to create three new works on the themes of family, gender, philosophy and gesture. It will be interesting to see what the exchange yields, especially in terms of the latter; Bharata Natyam is characterized by high-speed, rhythmic footwork and distinctive hand gesture, contemporary movement often by weighted, sweeping lines. The languages that emerge when these tongues are tied should be unfamiliar, fresh to the eyes and mind. (Sharon Hoyer)
At the DCA’s Storefront Theater, 78 East Washington, (312)742-8497. July 29-August 1, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 3pm. $18 in advance, $20 at the door.
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