Productions

2022

Mandala | India Tour

Sampradaya Dance Creations is delighted to announce the upcoming India Tour of Mandala - a production performed as a meditation in dance and music. Our dancers will take you through a performance inspired by the intrinsic potential of a Mandala - through the Tibetan sand mandala and the Sri Chakra. Reminding us of the impermanence of life on earth through its illusory harmony and order, mandalas are an architectural blueprint for enlightenment.

In the creation of this contemporary work - each movement, each gesture, each dancer is invested with the power of expressing the micro within the macro, the consecration of the space and the body to a divine purpose. Dance is in the moment, ephemeral and impermanent – as is the sand mandala.

The tour of the show will take place in 7 cities from December 16th to January 1st.

Mandala Program Brochure

2022

Sankhya

Sankhya – a new work by Sampradaya Dance Creations offers an intriguing look into the fascinating world of numbers, through the tenets of wisdom and knowledge that it embodies.

The pieces of the production ascend from 0 to 10 – from Shunya to Dasha; each Sankhya or numeral signifying its’ essence and its’ capacity to be a vital part of our lives. Drawing from Indian philosophy and mythology, the dancers take you on a journey that embodies the physical and the spiritual through concepts that are both rich and potent.

Sankhya was premiered at Meadowale Theatre, Mississauga on October 14th 2022.

Program Brochure

2021

Songs of the Blue God

‘Songs of The Blue God’, was a production putting together solo performances of Bharatanatyam padams by the company dancers. Choreographed by the Artistic Director Lata Pada, the nine dancers performed nine Krishna Padams from the Bharatanatyam repertoire predominantly based on ‘Abhinaya’.

2020 & 2016

Pralaya

Pralaya was a collaborative production with Balinese choreographer Dr.I.Wayan Dibia centering the tale of dynastic conflict from the Mahabharata in a confluence of Bharatanatyam and Balinese dance. In 2016, the Pralaya premiered in Toronto and went on a national tour across seven cities, from Vancouver to Montreal. in 2020, this production toured ten different cities of Indonesia and India.

2019

Mandala

On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary since its founding, Sampradaya Dance Creations presented Mandala, a meditative dance production honoring the sacred geometry of the cosmos through the sand mandalas of Tibetian Buddhist practice and the Yantras of Hindu rituals.

2018

Thyagaraja Mahima

Carnatic Music and South Indian Classical dance forms are indebted to Saint Thyagaraja for his innumerable compositions that form the basis of these art forms today. Featuring 14 dancers of the company, this production was a tribute to the life and history of this primordial saint, who is also revered as the primary of the Holy Trinity of Carnatic Music.

2017

Punyah Krishna & Other Works by Parshwanath Upadhye

Sampradaya Dance Creations was thrilled to commission renowned dancer Parshwanath Upadhye to teach and work with dancers from the Toronto region, leading to an evening of presenting the expanse of his work.

2015

Nirantara

Visually engaging and aurallu exquisite, Nirantara explored the personal and the universal, where time and space defy and elude memory with reality. Choreographed by Lata Pada and Composed by Anil Srinivasan, the production featured six talented dancers from both India and Canada performing to live music by Sikkil Gurucharan, Anil Srinivasan, Aruna Narayan Kalle, and S.Surenthar.

2014

Prayoga

While exploring classical and contemporary Bharatanatyam, Prayoga was a medium of unison between these sublets, forging new bonds between characteristic features between classical and modern Bharatanatyam. Redefining the boundaries with fresh new choreographic perspectives, Prayoga also witnessed a bolstering collaboration with award-winning musicians and composers from India and Canada.

2013

Taj

Presenting the best of both classical and contemporary Bharatanatyam, Prayoga which means innovation saw Sampradaya exploring their artistic journey further in the classical dance form with contemporary themes and concepts. Redefining the boundaries with fresh new choreographic perspectives, Prayoga also witnessed a bolstering collaboration with award winning musicians and composers from India and Canada.

2012

Alchemy

Bringing together a range of choreographic voices from Canada, India, England, and Belgium, Alchemy explored the unlimited potential of the human body and mind. The production was an imaginative triple-billed evening of Indian contemporary dance that included works titled Bridges, Stealth, and Rising.

Bridges: Gifted choreographer Natasha Bakht created a work imbued Bharatanatyam's distinct syntax for an electrifying contemporary group ensemble.

Stealth: Transforming the powerful physicality of Chhau, a martial art form from the state of Odisha in Eastern India, into a modern kinetic work, Stealth was a contemporary movement performance choreographed by the illustrious Santosh Nair.

Rising: Acclaimed international choreographers Akram Khan, Russel Maliphant, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui created works for the talented Aakash Odedra, whose energetic and renegade dance style is rooted in Kathak pushes the frontiers and challenges the perspectives of South Asian Dance.

2010

Sarupyam

In lieu of its 20th-anniversary celebration, Sampradaya dance creations staged Sarupyam- Visions of the Divine. The production was a grand showcase of Bharatanatyam celebrated for its sophistication, subtlety, and stylization.

2009

Samvad

Samvad, the Sanskrit word for dialogue, highlighted the two worlds that we as Canadians straddle- one of our source culture and the other of today's eclectic and cosmopolitan culture. A cross-cultural production with established choreographers Michael Greyeyes and Charmaine Headly provided a forum for work that aesthetically and intellectually forged a convergence of tradition and modernity.

2008

B2 (b-squared)

Sampradaya Dance Creations and Mavin Khoo brought together two divergent art forms, Ballet, and Bharatanatyam, to integrate their unique characteristics through a remarkable choreography for the production titled B2 whilst preserving the ideals of the dance forms. This production struck a perfect balance on the duality of the dance forms and gave the members of the audience a broader perspective of performing arts.

2008

Shunya

‘Unity in Diversity’- Samvad, which means dialogue in Sanskrit, highlighted the two worlds we, as Canadians, straddle – one of our source culture and the other of the eclectic and cosmopolitan culture of today. A cross-cultural work with established choreographers Michael Greyeyes and Charmaine Headly, the work provided a forum for inter-cultural work that aesthetically and intellectually forged a convergence of tradition and modernity.

2005

HowZaat

2005

Vivarta – Manifestations of Vishnu

Based on the mythological tale of Dasaavatara or the ten incarnations of the Hindu God, Lord Vishnu, Vivarta was a showcase of Bharatanatyam in its many poetic expressions and sublime movements.

2002

Soraab – Mirage

This production explores a relentlessly enduring theme of identity and transformation of women in a sometimes hostile, often unforgiving contemporary world. The shifting sand dunes and the haunting melodies of Afghanistan set the background for this powerful chronicle of a woman who dreams of freedom from the oppression of the Taliban regime.

2001

Revealed By Fire

Revealed by Fire was a personal story of loss, grief, and distress juxtaposed with significant global issues of intolerance, strife, and war. It charts Lata Pada's personal rediscovery of individual power and voice following the loss of her husband and two daughters to a terrorist bombing. An inspiring autobiographical work that combines a personal journey of discovery with the universal quest for identity, Lata Pada and renowned visual designer Cylla von Tiedemann forged new frontiers of dance and moving images. The production brought together an artistic team of multidisciplinary collaborators from musicians to playwrights, from photographers and filmmakers to visual designers that aided in shaping this momentous production.