“Pranita (Jain) Nayar of Chicago’s Mandala Arts performs What the Body Remembers, a series of solos illustrating the migration within one body from the classical Indian form of Bharata Natyam to more Western styles…reveals an admirable devotion to generational continuity”
Press
Press
“Masks & Myths grapples with questions about the effects of colonialism and tokenism on traditional South Asian dance and music, combining a variety of percussion instruments and styles of dance to reveal differences and similarities between African and Asian cultural traditions”
Lauren Warnecke
Chicago Tribune
The way Nayar is dismantling the form (of Bharatanatyam) feels like a radical act, an “unwinding” of centuries of tradition, layers upon layers of meaning which are tightly tied to the cultural fabric and spirituality of the people of India in ways Western concert dance forms have never been”
Lauren Warnecke
Chicago Tribune
“(In The Story of Ram) she glows with skill…Ashwaty summoned all her talents to narrate this labyrinth of a story, as easily breaking into a classical dance, a modern dance, or a dramatic monologue. In her diversity, she was in no way diluted, she was “everyman;” she inhabited the magical “third space.”
Joseph Houseal
Buddhistdoor
“Re-enacting the legend of Ram in dance to Stravinsky’s music added luster to both. Chennat who created the choreography (to Firebird Suite)… in an effort to overlay exceptional dance technique to a more literal dance narrative resulted in a tour de force. Dance and music were synced to the note; turning the co-dependence of stylized movement to music into rapturous synergy.”
Mitchell Oldham
City Pleasures
Mandala Arts works have been recommended by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, See Chicago Dance, New City Chicago and more.