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On January 27th, 2001 Saheli organized a dance performance, Classical Transformations and Contemporary Transmigrations, by Aparna Sindhoor Helm Fine Arts Theater. The performance commenced with a traditional Bharata Natyam solo of three pieces. She performed a traditional invocation, Pushpanjali, in which flowers are offered to Lord Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. This was followed by Varna Daru, a colorful dance that blends Nritta (abstract dance and footwork) with Abhinaya (expressive dance and storytelling). Varna Daru explored the aspects of the Goddess Chamundeshwari. Aparna concluded the first half with Devaranama, a devotional song composed by Purandaradasa, one of the great Kannada-language poets. This delightful piece elaborated upon a story about mother Yashoda trying to put a reluctant, toddler Krishna to bed.

The first piece after intermission, entitled The Incident and After, is based on a short story by Kannada writers, Ondu Ghatane Mattu Anantara, by Dr. Aunpama Niranjana. The story is about a young couple who is leading a happy married life, which gets violently disrupted when the wife is raped by a group of men. The performance concluded with The Man is Innocent, a dance theatre adaptation of Martin Espada’s poem on Mumia Abu Jamal, the political prisoner who is currently on death row. Both pieces combined modern dance theater, narration, poetry, vocal music, and some traditional movements.

Following the performance Aparna engaged the audience in a question-answer session in which she explained her background in activism and how she became interested in choreographing these pieces. She revealed that a discontent with the content of many of the traditional dances led her to seek new subject matter and technique for her ideas. She has taken a chance in presenting her modern works in India. She was pleased that the reaction was quite positive from both critics and audiences. Her technique is a melding of a variety of techniques in a tasteful way.

Aparna Sindhoor is an accomplished dancer and choreographer from Mysore, India. Having trained for twenty years in the Bharata Natyam tradition under Padmabhushan Dr. K. Venkatalakshamma, Aparna’s style reflects the Mysore school’s emphasis on Abhinaya (facial expression) and graceful Jatis (abstract dance phrases). She has choreographed and performed sixteen full-length works in which she has blended traditional, folk, and modern dance, as well as theater, prose, poetry and vocal music. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where she teaches at the Dance Complex and Navarasa Arts Academy. She is artistic director of Aparna Sindhoor Dance Theatre Company. Aparna explores themes such as violence against women, environmental degradation, and other human rights and social justice issues. She is a member of FOPA (Forum of Progressive Artists), a collective of artists and their allies who promote and participate in cultural activism.

Saheli is a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas, whose mission is to help victims and survivors of domestic violence to heal and empower themselves to make choices for a life free of abuse. Founded as a support group in early 1992, Saheli’s activities have expanded to include counseling and referrals, 24-hour voice mail helpline and life-skills classes. Contact Saheli at saheli@usa.net or call (512)703-8745

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