See Chicago Dance - June 2022

SEECHICA GODANCE .COM 5 FEATURED EVENT Mandala South Asian Performing Arts: Mandala Makers Festival Mandala Arts presents its fourth annual Mandala Makers Festival June 16–26, returning to in-person performances after two years of digital programming. “The digital festival had its challenges and opportunities,” said Mandala Associate Artistic Director Ashwaty Chennat. “It was great that the 2021 festival was recommended by the New York Times . But we’re glad to return to performing for a live audience.” The festival is creating a home in the Devon Avenue neighborhood, which, since the 1960s, has been a hub for immigrants and members of the South Asian diaspora, reflected in the many retailers, grocers, social service centers and community spaces. “The community is truly diverse, representing more than 20 spoken languages from South Asia alone, but its geographic distance from Chicago’s downtown cultural hub can cause many to overlook it,” Chennat commented. “Through the festival and other ongoing programs, Mandala hopes to amplify voices and draw attention to the generations of artists, communities and culture in the Devon neighborhood to promote positive change through better representation of and advocacy for artistic communities of color.” The festival features nationally recognized and emerging artists who reside in the community and represent performance disciplines including music, dance, drag, storytelling, community-devised work and interdisciplinary creations—all responding to specific cultures, art forms and perspectives from South Asian traditions. Programming, some of it site-specific, takes place throughout the neighborhood and will activate unusual spaces, such as street corners and social service agencies, like Mandala’s partner, the Indo-American Center. The festival culminates in a three-day showcase indoors and outdoors at Indian Boundary Park, bringing a spotlight to the community and powerful artistry from the South Asian diaspora. Chennat said, “Mandala Arts has established itself as a home for traditional dance forms of South Asia as well as a fertile ground for experimentation and the cultivation of contemporary dance. During Chicago Dance Month, and in this citywide Year of Chicago Dance, Mandala Makers Festival highlights the contemporary South Asian dance that has emerged in Chicago from independent dancemakers, many of whom work with the popular classical form of Bharatanatyam dance. While Chicago’s dance community is familiar with Bharatanatyam, the festival showcases less common forms embedded in South Asian arts— and their diasporic responses—such as Sufi dances, Odissi and forms from the Caribbean diaspora. The festival will explore the juxtaposition of generational continuity and preservation from traditional practitioners with contemporary artists.” The festival is free to the public and supported by the Neighborhood Access Project fund from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Mandala Makers Festival takes place June 16–26 at various locations in the Devon Avenue community. Visit mandalaarts.org . TICKETS START AT $30 AuditoriumTheatre.org :: 312.341.2300 50 E Ida B Wells Dr | Chicago, IL Ashley Downs and Rosario Guillen. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. “Giordano is, and always will be, American jazz dance royalty.” — Chicago Tribune 2021–22 SEASON SPONSORS Official Hotel Partner The Florian Fund Dance Sponsor Magazine Sponsor Joyce Chelberg Pamela Crutchfield “MADE IN CHICAGO” DANCE SERIES SPONSORS Patti Eylar and Charlie Gardner GIORDANO DANCE CHICAGO Ann and Tom Nash Presenting Sponsors ONE NIGHT ONLY! :: JUNE 11