Horidraa: Golden Healing
The year: 2053. A patient, dark of skin, has been checked into urgent medical care in a state of collapse. She self-identifies as “the child of many continents.” Follow her journey as she travels into the recesses of memory and imagination to conjure a magical healing experience that invites all into its joy-filled dance. Choreographer Ananya Chatterjea, the dancers of Ananya Dance Theatre, collaborating director Marcus Young, sound artists Greg Schutte, Queen Drea, Pooja Goswami, and Tenzin Ngawang, visual artist Alison Hiltner, and lighting designer Kevin A. Jones create an original dance theater production inspired by the remarkable properties of turmeric, the root ingredient of many cuisines and recipes that heal from within!
REVIEW:
“Chatterjea’s perspective never flinches from exposing injustices women around the globe are subjected to daily. These priorities support “Horidraa”; however, longtime followers of Ananya Dance Theatre will notice a departure in approach. There is humor in the futuristic scenes and the usually grounded movement has a life-affirming lightness to it. Chatterjea may well be casting healing energy outward from the stage, sensing a need for uplift and hope during these uncertain times.” –Caroline Palmer, Star Tribune
World Premiere: September 16, 2016, The O’Shaughnessy, St. Paul MN
Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Concept, Choreography, and Poetry: Ananya Chatterjea
Collaborating Director: Marcus Young
Score Composition and Sound Design: Greg Schutte and Andrea Reynolds
Sound Artists: Greg Schutte, Andrea Reynolds, Mankwe Ndosi,
Pooja Goswami Pavan, Michelle Kinney, Tenzin Ngawang
Costume Design: Annie Cady
Scenic Design: Alison Hiltner
Lighting Design: Kevin A. Jones
Media Design: Darren Johnson and Tim Quinlan, Northern Dawn Media
Dancers: Leila Awadallah, Ananya Chatterjea, Renée Copeland, Kealoha Ferreira, Jay Galtney, Prakshi Malik, Lela Pierce, Hui Niu Wilcox, Alessandra Lebea Williams, Magnolia Yang Sao Yia
Apprentice Performers: Holo Lue Choy, Sophia Hill, Julia Gay
Deliverer of Diagnosis: Shá Cage
Production Manager: Emma Marlar
Stage Manager and Rehearsal Assistant: Nakita Vang
Artistic Director/Choreographer’s Statement
Turmeric, the root that is common to many cuisines in the global south, has tremendous healing properties. I remember my mother putting the paste of turmeric on my skin daily when I was young to calm inflammation and prevent infections. Turmeric paste was part of religious and social ceremonies, and part of our daily diet. Turmeric was also one of the elements that was traded across Asia and Africa from the 8th century along Indian Ocean routes. For me, turmeric became the symbol of connectivity, of healing from within, and of the richness of being held in natural ecosystems.
This project, which has taken us on a deep journey physically, emotionally, and spiritually, has repeatedly provoked us to ask ourselves: What does it take for us to heal? To heal from the many forms of violence in which our lives are embedded? To find relief from the pain that becomes permanently lodged in our hearts when we live in hatred? To reassert our ability to love and seek delight in pleasure? What does it take to remember and reckon with anguish and still believe in the possibility of weaving magic in collaboration with the abundance of the universe?
In the end, I realize that my ability to dance this piece from beginning to end comes from the inspiration and support of my colleagues, the artists with whom I work, and the women in the movement globally whose work inspires me daily. I dance for my sisters in #BlackLivesMatter, #RefugeeLivesMatter, #NoDAPL, and other global movements who make real the magical beauty of life every day, summoning love from the churning depths of despair.
I offer my deepest gratitude to my dancers who keep pushing for excellence, and my collaborators and community members who convince me that love is ours. Thank you. The magic we weave will carry us through!
– Ananya Chatterjea
Horidraa: Golden Healing
The journey of Ashwarnahm Barhaili Kofucheenané:
Act 1: Inside Health, Inc.
Act 2: Descent Into Memory
Act 3: Magykal Imaginings: Rituals of Memory, Reckonings, Loss, Love, Pleasure & Imagining Healing
