Sampradaya celebrates 30 years of bridging cultures

On October 19, Sampradaya Dance Creations presented Mandala as part of the celebrations marking their 30th anniversary. The daring new kinetic work was a fitting tribute to 30 years devoted to teaching and bringing the beauty of classical Indian dance forms to Canada.

Six dancers and four acclaimed musicians consecrated the stage with dynamic movement and evocative music, exciting the imagination and transcending borders of culture, religion and ethnicity. This stunning performance brought to life a performed meditation in dance, combining the mantras of Hinduism and the sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhist practice.

Musicians with singing bowls were replaced by dancers in a stunning opening sequence in which projected images transformed the backdrop into a cave temple with each positioned at an entrance. 

The dances were hypnotic and meditative, wisps of white fabric from their costumes floating gently into the air with each movement. In another energy-charged sequence, exuberant footwork and virtuoso percussion combined in a breathtaking jugalbandi.

Each time the dancers froze in a vignette, it was like a beautiful painting.

Artistic director Lata Pada described the process of creating Mandala as “being drawn into the sacred geometry mapping our cosmos”.

Tibetan monks who created a sand mandala at the Art Gallery of Mississauga as part of the presentation, explained the connection between the creation and dissolution of the mandalas and human ego. “Each person’s life is like a mandala – a vast limitless circle,” said Pema Chodron of the Palyul Pema Mani Centre in Toronto. “We stand in the centre of our own circle and everything we see, hear and think forms the mandala of our life... everything that shows up in your mandala is a vehicle for your awakening.”

At the reception that followed the performance, guests were heard speaking about how profoundly moved they were.

Here’s looking ahead to more years of such beautiful, transformative experiences.