‘SPEAK’, the Kathak-Tap Collaboration, Premieres in New York at 92NY

Leela Dance Collective announces the New York Premiere of SPEAK, taking place on February 21 at the 92nd Street Y, New York, as part of the What Flows Between Us Festival and the Women Move the World Harkness Mainstage Series.

SPEAK is an evening of kathak dance, tap dance, and live North Indian classical music and American jazz music, conceived of and created by kathak virtuosos Rachna Nivas and Rukhmani Mehta, and starring Nivas, Mehta, and tap legends Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia. Developed over several years of dialogue and artistic exchange amongst these veteran kathak and tap artists, SPEAK was born of deep kinship, shared reverence for history and lineage, and a love of rhythm and improvisation. 

Though born continents and centuries apart, Indian kathak and American tap dance share strikingly similar paths of resilience and defiance, each one inseparable from the triumphs and trials of the communities that gave them life. These dynamic, percussive traditions come together in SPEAK, a captivating collaboration that interweaves rhythm, poetry, storytelling, music, and dance.

Since its 2017 U.S. premiere to sold-out audiences in San Francisco, CA, SPEAK has toured nationally and to major cities across India earning widespread critical acclaim. The production is now being remounted and further developed through a Works & Process residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center ahead of its New York premiere. Critics have hailed the work as both artistically thrilling and socially resonant: Jeff Slayton of the L.A. Dance Chronicle called SPEAK “an evening of rhythmic magic,” while Laura Bleiberg of the Los Angeles Times praised its “excellent musicianship” and described it as “a sunny break from our me-first fractured world.” 

SPEAK carries forward the legacy of iconic artists like Pandit Chitresh Das, Dr. Jimmy Slyde, and James Buster Brown, while elevating the voices of powerful female choreographers and performers. Mehta, Nivas, Dorrance, and Dormeshia are joined by some of the world’s leading Indian classical and jazz musicians: Jayanta Banerjee (sitar), Satyaprakash Mishra (tabla), Ambarish Das (vocals), Caili O’Doherty (piano), Allison MIller (drums), Noah Garabedian (bass).

Against the backdrop of social fragmentation and politics of othering, SPEAK feels more urgent than ever—reminding audiences of the universal power of dance and music to connect across histories, borders, and identities. Mehta and Nivas state that “SPEAK is a testament to the beauty and possibility born of diversity and a reflection of the America we know and love: multi-faceted, plural and vibrant.” 

SPEAK featuring Rachna Nivas, Rukhmani Mehta, Michelle Dorrance, Dormeshia will be at Kaufmann Concert Hall on Saturday, February 21 at 7 pm. Tickets start at $55. Book now at https://www.92ny.org/event/what-flows-between-us

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