Production Details

Fearless Women - a celebration of women's literature
Innumerable women poets and writers of South Asian origin remain relatively unknown. In this dance work, soloist Jyotsna Vaideeswaran explores the stories of India’s early women writers and their works. Words that interrogate injustice, with searing questions of gender and faith, raising their voices. It's time that we listened for our sake!

Jyotsna Vaidee
Jyotsna Vaidee is an award winning Bharatanatyam choreographer and dancer and the founder of Samudra Dance Creations. A Canadian-American-Indian, Jyotsna’s work is influenced by her upbringing in multiple countries. Jyotsna is a well-established Bharatanatyam soloist who has immersed herself in the art for over 25 years. She is a senior disciple of "Padma Bushan" Prof CV Chandrasekhar and "Nritya Kalandhi" Smt. Bragha Bessell. Her performances have received critical acclaim in India and North America and reviewed in The Hindu and other publications . She is a regular performer at India’s (Chennai) December dance and music season and has performed full length solo concerts known as “Margam” at prestigious festivals and has received awards such as Natya Ratna from, Nritya Shiromani and Best Performer award from Chennai Sabhas.

Samudra Dance Creations
Samudra is a Sanskrit term literally meaning the "gathering together of waters.” As the name implies, the company enables collaborations among freelance/professional artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and creates awareness around cultural/social issues. Samudra Dance Creations seeks to represent and empower the Indian community operating in a Diaspora environment and also seeks to engage mainstream. Samudra has presented at several prestigious festivals including Erasing Borders Festival New York, Momentum Festival Toronto, the PushDance Fest and the Ragamala Music Society of Canada. Jyotsna Vaidee, the Artistic Director, advocates that the authentic technique of Bharatanatyam is a rich language that can be used to communicate and discover themes that are both traditional and contemporary. To that end, Ms. Vaidee has created a number of full length original choreographic productions including The Caged Bird Sings (2018), The Quest Unsaid (2013/2015) and Kaavyam: Poetry in Motion (2011). Her most recent production The Earth Speaks was nominated in 2019 for an Isadora Duncan Award. Samudra’s Dance Film STORM (2021) received official selection in multiple Dance Film Festivals