Kanopy Dance Company

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Shawn Harper Photography

"Winter Fantasia Reimagined," Kanopy Dance Company.

"Winter Fantasia Reimagined," Kanopy Dance Company.

The familiar holiday works are always fun, but Kanopy explores multicultural traditions in its annual “Winter Fantasia: Reimagined” program. This year it includes Chalo Ramiye” (or “let’s play” in Gujarati), which is one of those traditional circle dances, choreographed by South Asian guest artist Udbhav Desai. Joining it are two dances drawn from Scandinavian folklore: Once Upon a Winter’s Eve and The Norse Tree of Life, plus Winter in the City, set to Leonard Bernstein’s score for On the Town. It may bring to mind walking up Fifth Avenue and past the Rockefeller Center rink and Christmas tree — what could be more romantic? Performances at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, 3 and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, and 1 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 8.

media release: 7 pm on 12/5. 7:30 pm on 12/6, 3 & 7:30 pm on 12/7 and 1 & 4 pm, 12/8. $40.

Join Kanopy’s guest artist Udbhav Desai (Desai) for Winter Fantasia: Reimagined, a multi-cultural dance celebration that enriches the spirit of the holidays by showcasing important contributions from a mosaic of cultures.

At the heart of Winter Fantasia: Reimagined is “Chalo Ramiye”, (or “let’s play in Gujarati”), a community circle dance, known as “Garba”, choreographed by Desai who also performs a principal role in this festive ritual. The “Garba” dance originated in the Indian state of Gujarat and is performed during Navratri, the longest and largest dance festival in the world, honoring the Hindu goddess Durga during the festival of Sharad Navratri, or nine nights. Each night of Navratri represents one of the nine forms of Durga, with the tenth day celebrated as the day the goddess slew the demon king, Mahishasura.

Passed down through generations, “Garba” shares many parallels with modern dance and ballet techniques. “Chalo Ramiye” will be a visual feast with highly expressive dance and dazzling traditional costumes and jewelry crafted in a genuine Gujarati style. Dancing the “Chalo Ramiye” choreography demands a spirited bounce in the movement, nuanced head and hand gestures, grounded weighted movement, and a special bond among the performers. Garba is rarely, if ever, performed on a big stage in the United States- outside of cultural celebrations.  

In Garba music, you can hear instruments such as dakla, a drum bound with leather on two ends and a thin waist; sundari, a double-reed instrument; manjira, small brass cymbals; and surando, a stringed instrument. The music is paired with poems often about the Goddess and festivities. In essence, the song, music and dance of Garba give it its unique devotional, playful and celebratory character.  

Costumes and jewelry worn by dancers portraying female roles in “Chalo Ramiye”, originate from a collection curated by the late Bijalben Patel (Patel), a lifelong “Garba” choreographer and dancer. They were donated to Kanopy Dance in Patel’s memory by the guest artist’s mother, Raxitaben Desai.

In addition to “Chalo Ramiye”, two cherished and enchanting winter stories rooted in Scandinavian folklore: “Once Upon a Winter’s Eve” and “The Norse Tree of Life” ---- performed in lavish, elaborately detailed costuming designed by noted New York artist David Quinn, continue to be a treasured part of the program. The joyful and sassy, “Winter in the City,” set to the iconic Leonard Bernstein score for “On the Town”, and charged with fancy footwork completes the lineup.