New York Premiere of AHUTI to Open at The Joyce Theater in May

The Joyce Theater Foundation will present the New York premiere of a momentous partnership between two revered South Asian dance companies. The cross-cultural collaboration from Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company, Āhuti, will play The Joyce Theater from May 9-14. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$55, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, including required face-coverings and proof of vaccination policies, please visit www.Joyce.org.

A thrilling performance of Odissi classical dance from India and traditional Kandyan dance from Sri Lanka, Āhuti, meaning "offering," bridges the gap between these two historic and unique dance forms. The acclaimed Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company collaborated across cultures, styles, and borders to bring this vision that is centuries in the making to life. Through movement and music, these two companies have developed a fascinating cultural dialogue rooted in their own native dance vocabularies. Stunningly rich in tradition, Āhuti is simultaneously steeped in and dedicated to ancient practices while carrying each company's distinct art form into the 21st century.

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble is regarded as one of the foremost dance companies of India, with over twenty-five years of diligent practice, teaching, and performance. The Ensemble has nurtured celebrated dancers such as Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy, performs all over India, tours Australia, Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, South Africa, U.K., and tours the U.S. annually. Steeped in and dedicated to ancient practice, the Ensemble is also committed to carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century. They not only explore creative expansions of tradition but commission fresh compositions from leading musicians. At Nrityagram, traditional practice is infused with a bright contemporary spirit, which has captured the imagination of people worldwide.

Chitrasena Dance Company is Sri Lanka's oldest dance company, and was established in the 1940s by Guru Chitrasena, who was instrumental in bringing Sri Lanka's traditional dances from the village rituals to the Modern Stage. Today, the dance school and company continue to use traditional dance to create cutting-edge contemporary dance theater.

ABOUT The Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for almost four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn's Invisible Dog Art Center, and outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances - both digital and in-person - for audiences of over 150,000.

The Joyce Theater presents Vuyani Dance Theater in Cion: A Requiem of Ravel's Boléro from April 12-16. The performance schedule is as follows: Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$55, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, including required face-coverings and proof of vaccination policies, please visit www.Joyce.org.