Sutradhar Institute of Indian Dance & Related Arts presents SANCTUARY

Name: Sutradhar Institute of Indian Dance & Related Arts presents SANCTUARY
Start: 2025-09-21T16:00:00-04:00
Location: Veterans Plaza

Schedule

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025 at 04:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Veterans Plaza | Silver Spring, MD

Sutradhar Institute of Indian Dance & Related Arts presents SANCTUARY at 4PM.
Depicting the strength that we have within us - like the tree branch that bends but does not break - becoming itself a shelter, the performance title is: ‘Sanctuary.’ It draws on Indian myth, epic heroines and the shapes/sounds that feel safe when the battleground keeps shifting from street, town hall and deportation center.
The Sutradhar Institute of Dance and Related Arts (SIDRA) was established in 1988 – one of the first Kuchipudi academies in the U.S. Its founder and director, Nilimma Devi, achieved her vision of Kuchipudi classical dance not as an isolated art, but as a rich tapestry of interwoven art forms. Emblematic of Devi’s synergistic perspective is the Sanskrit word sutradhar, which means “thread-bearer” – and also the character in dance-drama who links the performer, performance, and audience together.
The Sutradhar Institute introduces dance through a blend of yoga, creative writing, story-telling, and music - all links in the chain of Kuchipudi aesthetics. This holistic approach to an ancient art form enhances its attractiveness to young people, allowing them to connect to dance from a deeper and more expressive core.
SIDRA’s mission is to transcend cultural and gender barriers with re-imagined, innovative, and cross-cultural choreographies of ancient Kuchipudi and to encourage artists to overcome language and cultural boundaries through dance.
The Sutradhar Institute brings talented, aspiring dancers to the stage. With each year, the Institute has increased its outreach in this culturally diverse tri-state area. It has reached over 15,000 people with free and affordable admission prices through such institutes as the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater, Sackler Gallery, Dance Place, Strathmore Arts Center, Art Scape, International Beads Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and others.