Photo by Seon Tyrell

Woman: A Search, A tribute to all women striving for equality

We are proud to partner with UN Women and their campaign Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture It! marking the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration

Woman: A Search As part of the Next Steps Festival 2015 Next Steps is Harbourfront Centre's national dance series. It aims to bring ‘the very best in Canadian dance from across the country and around the world to Toronto's finest venues and theatres’.

March 21, 2015 Fleck Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

Woman: A Search • Is a unique opportunity to engage

Toronto’s multicultural community • It is for everyone interested in the

contemporary issues of women’s rights • It will mobilize the Harborfront Centre’s

large outreach (approximately to 25,000 contacts) through their newsletter, website and social media networks

We hope you can help us bring this production to life.

March 21, 2015 Fleck Theatre, Harbourfront Centre Toronto

Woman: A Search Toronto Harborfront Centre’s

Next Steps Festival 2015 March 21, 2015 Fleck Theatre,

Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

Harbourfront Centre Box Office, 235 Queen’s Quay West

Ph: 416 973 4000 tickets@harbourfrontcentre.com

Media partner

Canada’s No.1 South Asian Magazine Circulation 52,500; Readership 210,000

Gold Sponsor Phyllis and Gora Aditya

mailto:tickets@harbourfrontcentre.com

Inspired by two stories from India, Woman: A Search portrays the passionate journeys of two women in search of equality. A unique creation with multiple styles of dance, music from the East and West, theater and narration. Photo by Seon Tyrell

MEET OUR CREATIVE TEAM

Lata Pada

Woman: A Search is narrated by Lata Pada, a legendary name in South Asian dance in Canada Lata Pada’s recent production, Taj has toured all of Canada to great applause. Pada is the founder and artistic director of Sampradaya Dance Creations. She is also the founder and director of Sampradaya Dance Academy, a leading professional dance training institution that is the only South Asian dance school in North America affiliated with the prestigious, UK-based Imperial Society for Teachers of Dancing. Lata has achieved many outstanding distinctions such as: Member of the Order of Canada (2008) Winner of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, awarded by the President of India (2011) Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)

The

Artis

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Concept, Direction and in lead female roles Enakshi Sinha, one of the leading exponent of Odissi dance in North America Enakshi’s goal is to create an awareness of the rich cultural heritage of classical Indian art by creating collaborative dance productions with artistes from all over the world. Her distinctive style comes from her direct training from Padmavibhusan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, a legendary name in Odissi dance, Smt. Sharmila Biswas and Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra. Her active career spans over the last 17 years. Enakshi is the recipient of several awards and grants, including the International Nritya Shiromoni Award from India for propagating and preserving Indian Classical Dance in Canada (2014). She is a Founder Chairperson and Artistic Director of Mrudanga Dance Academy, running her institution in Toronto and Windsor. Enakshi has created and collaborated with several dance productions. These include: DEVI – THE DIVINE CORE (2014) UTSAV(2014), STRITVA SAMPRATTI: (2013), SAMYUKTA (2010), CROSSROADS (2009).

Photo by Seon Tyrell

Harikishan S. Nair in lead male role Harikishan is a highly accomplished professional dancer, trained in three different styles of Indian classical dance. He has been recently greatly acclaimed for his performance in Paradise Lost which premiered at the Next Steps festival in 2013. He has presented numerous solo performances and has also worked with legends like Dr. Padma Subramanyam, Sri. Madurai R Muralidharan, Dr. Menaka Thakkar, Sri. Uma Murali Sri Janak Khendry and so on. Harikishan has also performed for many dance festivals in India, Canada and the USA; Panorama India’s India Day festival (Toronto, 2013); Festival of India (Ottawa, 2013). Harikishan is also the Artistic Director of Regatta Kala Kendra. in Toronto.

Voice: Owais Lightwala Owais is an emerging theatre artist, producer, and designer. His performance in the Suburban Beast was nominated for a Dora Award. His performances include Lost Voices (Topological Theatre, Directed by Ed Roy) and Agar (3D Flic Films, Directed by Ali Kazimi). He was assistant director for Race (Canadian Stage, Directed by Daniel Brooks) and is currently the Artistic Producer of Why Not Theatre. Script and Voice: Ananya Mukherjee-Reed

Ananya is Professor of Political Science at York University, Toronto. A well-known expert on gender and social justice,

Ananya is also deeply engaged in platforms beyond academia. Since 2011 she has played a leading role in presenting India's

iconic poet and the first non-European Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore to mainstream audiences in Canada.

Contact Enakshi Sinha Email: mrudangacenter@gmail.com Web: www.mrudanga.com Phone: 416-902-1172

http://www.mrudanga.com