Tarana featuring Bageshree Vaze
Date: April 29, 8:30 pm
Price: $30 regular, $27 Friends, $22.50 seniors and students
Tickets include same-day admission at the Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1K1

Get moving with The Aga Khan Museum and Pratibha Arts on International Dance Day for a special performance from Indo-Canadian dancer and musician Bageshree Vaze, tabla musician Vineet Vyas, and sarangi musician Pankaj Mistra as they rhythm and rhyme their way through Kathak — one of the original forms of Indian classical dance originating from the Moghul period.

Although Kathak’s Islamic origins have been diluted over the past century as prominent artists in India have connected it more with Hindu mythological storytelling, its Islamic influences are evidenced through its movement, vocabulary, music, lyrical content, and costuming.

Reaching a global audience
Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project that is focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance, while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition. Tarana will be presented prior to Bageshree Vaze’s performance.

Bageshree Vaze
Bageshree Vaze (Kathak artist), the artistic Director of Pratibha Arts, is an Indo-Canadian dance artist, musician, and writer. Vaze initially trained in the classical dance, Bharatha Natyam, and studied vocal music with her father. She has released five albums including Tarana, an album of music for Indian dance. Vaze was named MTV India’s ‘rising star’ and in 2010, she was awarded the K.M. Hunter Award in Dance. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Carleton University and a Master’s in Dance from York University. Vaze was recently named Dance Collection Danse’s inaugural Artist Researcher-in-Residence.

Vineet Vyas
Vineet Vyas (Tabla Artist) is a disciple of the legendary tabla maestro, Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Vyas has performed at many prestigious venues and festivals throughout India and across North America with some of India's eminent classical artists. In 2010, his solo album The King of Dhamaar received an East Coast Music Award nomination for Best World Recording. Vyas holds a Master in Fine Arts in World Percussion from the California Institute of the Arts.

Pankaj Mishra
Pankaj Mishra (Sarangi artist) comes from a long lineage of sarangi virtuosos, and at a very young age created a style of his own. He regularly tours the world and has recorded albums with numerous world-renowned vocalists. He was awarded the first position in sarangi playing from the State Music Academy of West Bengal. Mishra’s unique style is admired and sought after by a wide range of professionals from venerable Indian masters to luminary world musicians.

About Pratibha Arts
Pratibha Arts serves to enhance and advance the cultural fabric of Ontario and Canada through the production, education, and performance of arts, often featuring influences from South Asian cultures, which are reflective of this significant demographic in Canada. Under the Artistic leadership of Bageshree Vaze, the organization’s vision is to promote artistic excellence as well as nurture future generations of artists in Ontario and reflect the current 'faces' of Toronto and Canada. Inspired by ‘Pratibha,’ which means ‘creative intelligence’ in Sanskrit, Pratibha Arts’ activities enhance the collective artistic intelligence of Canadians, but also explore new avenues and models for intelligently supporting creativity. www.pratibhaarts.com