PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, March 22, 2018 (Drexel): Sattriya has historically been a hidden form of dance. Cultivated by Hindu monks as a way to worship the supreme Deity, Krishna, it originated in the monasteries of Assam, India. This spring the public will have the opportunity to experience the ancient ritual for the first time in Philadelphia. The Westphal College of Media Arts & Design will host a series of master classes, demonstrations, a lecture and a performance on campus from April 23 to April 28. The performance, An Odyssey of the Spirit, will take place on Saturday, April 28 at 7:30pm., in the Mandell Theater.
The Philadelphia-based Sattriya Dance Company, along with the Dancing Monks of Assam led by Bhabananda Barbayan, who will travel to the U.S. from monasteries on the river island of Majuli in the Northeast Indian state of Assam, will introduce and perform Sattriya, a form of dance that honors the flute-playing Hindu God Krishna and his incarnations. It narrates the playful, sensuous and fantastical story of Krishna’s life, as recounted in the ancient epics. For centuries, Sattriya remained confined to the monasteries, where celibate monks practiced, nurtured and preserved it as part of their daily rituals. In 2000, the government of India incorporated the dance into its pantheon of classical arts. It is an unbroken, more than 500-year-old living tradition that includes drama, dance, song and a special form of choreographed yoga.