Don’t you just love it when culture becomes the ultimate language to the door to humanity. During the onslaught of Covid and the yet to be seen massive return to live entertainment it’s no wonder that art, music and dance collectives dedicated to a cause survive even during the toughest times. Such is the case of the all women founded, led and inspired Leela Dance Collective. The collective started with co-founder Nina Mehta senior disciple of “kathak” legend Pandit Chitresh Das. With Leela Dance Collective feet and hands, rhythm and sound play a large part of a culture that has stood the test of time. Such is the case with kathak a traditional Northern Indian classical dance. The Leela Collective visited our fair city of Los Angeles sharing their historical tradition as a part of a street fair tour which began in San Francisco and ended here, in LA their home. Without thinking, and just as natural as sky to earth feet are the first to kick start the fast and intensely percussive and rhythmical movement.. Their hands seem guided by the intent of the dancer and then shared harmoniously by using hands and various facial gestures stories to tell a story. Rina Mehta curated the concept and arrangement of the ReSound repertoire. Is senior disciple of kathak legend Pandit Chitresh Das and cofounder of the critically acclaimed Leela Dance Collective. ReSound showcases Das’ original compositions and choreography, while featuring a new generation of emerging kathak dancers trained in his iconic style – Sonali Toppur, Ahana Mukherjee, Carrie McCune, and Ria DasGupta.
