West Harlem Art Fund Presents Special Dance Performance On Governors Island

The West Harlem Art Fund presents Kiran Rajagopolan to perform LE AYE | EL'VATI in dedication to Orisha Oko & 'r' on Governors Island at their new satellite location NP/10 (Nolan Park/Building 10B) on Saturday, July 6th and August 3rd. FREE PUBLIC EVENT.

Ile aye in the Yoruba language and el'vati in Sanskrit refers to the concept of Earth as mother and vessel for the creation, sustenance, dissolution, and transformation of life. Bounded yet boundless, the element of earth and its cultivation through agriculture has birthed civilizations and fed humanity for millennia. In this solo piece, the deities Orisha Oko and 'r' are invoked and worshipped as manifestations of wealth, prosperity, and abundance through the farming and harvesting of yams and rice - the staple crops of West Africa and Asia.

This dance work will be performed near the foam installation created by Chinese artist Ying Zhu. Her work is apart of the TRACES exhibition. This dance is also in response to the pastoral themes reflected in the other South and Central Asian works featured in the TRACES exhibition. In addition to the Balinese-Hindu goddess 'r', other pan-Asian deities to be featured include Tieguanyin (Chinese Buddhist deity associated with tea), Daikokuten (Japanese Buddhist deity associated with rice and agricultural wealth), and Enten (Sumerian deity known as the guardian of vegetation and farming).

Concept, Choreography, & Performance: Kiran Rajagopalan
Duration: 45 Minutes
Photos: Kamal Badhey

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