Beyond Bollywood Dance Series with Chaksam-pa and Aerodance

On May 20, 2023 and in tandem with the special exhibition Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art, Chaksam-pa performed rarely seen Tibetan ceremonial pieces including the skeleton dance, a purification dance, and the Chöd ritual. Aerodance presented dances praising many of the Hindu gods and goddesses including Ganesha, Krishna, Shiva, and Durga. Help to keep the cultural traditions of these two countries alive as you experience firsthand the ceremonial and ritual significance of dance.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Chaksam-pa is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by former artists from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamsala, India. Chaksam-pa artists are among the most experienced in performing traditional Tibetan opera, music and dance. Their mission is to share the unique art of Tibetan traditional forms and to preserve Tibet’s endangered artistic tradition. Chaksam-pa in Tibetan means “The Iron Bridge.” As performing artists, they are the artistic bridge between Tibetan performing arts and the global community.

Aerodance is a premier school of dance established in Fremont, California in 1999 by artistic director Ranjani Avijit. Specializing in Indian semi-classical, Bollywood, folk, classical, fusion and other ethnic dance forms, the school has become a forerunner in winning Bay Area dance competitions. It is a pioneer in issuing certificates for semi-classical dance courses and takes pride in promoting semi-classical dance as an art form.