On Saturday, the VALA Art Studio and Shop, at 16549 N.E. 74th St. in Redmond Town Center (RTC), will host India Day, a cultural program produced by Redmond artist and Washington State Arts Commissioner Latha Sambamurti.
The program will be from 5-7:30 p.m. and feature various forms of group and solo Indian dancing and a fashion show of Indian dresses.
“I am excited to team up with (VALA Eastside Executive Director and Founder) Jessica Lambert to offer India Day to arts and culture buffs in and around Redmond,” said Sambamurti. “The program includes three major classical dance forms of India: Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Odissi. The dance items are interspersed with attractive fashion parades featuring Indian women in traditional and modern Indian dresses.”
The Kathak program will feature The Leela Kathak Dancers, who are students of Guru Urmila Nagar of New Delhi. Preetha Babu, co-artistic director of the Abhinay School, will present a solo Bharatanatyam dance. Urvasi Dance Ensemble, founded by Dr. Ratna Roy, will perform an Odissi dance. The Nrityalaya School, founded and directed by Vidyalakshmi Vinod, will present Bharatanatyam dance.
The fashion show will be staged by Ravishing Women, a collective associated with Ravishing Marketplace at 16540 Redmond Way.
In addition, India Day will also feature Annie Penta of Seattle, who will lead a community creation of a traditional Indian decorative pattern on the floor called a mandala. The mandala will consist of local flowers and plants such as ivy, holly, cedar, bear grass, bamboo and Oregon graperoot.
India Day is one of several special events of arts and culture hosted by the VALA Art Studio and Shop. This space, is located in the space previously occupied by Borders Bookstore. It has been donated to VALA by (RTC) for four weeks since Nov. 29. Other events include the VALA Art Studio: Artist in Residence (AIR) Program, a holiday venue for artists in action. At these events, the community can meet local artists in action, purchase handmade arts and participate in art activities.
For more information on India Day visit its event page on Facebook.
For details and a full calendar of special events running till the end of the year at the VALA Art Studio and Shop, visit valaeastside.org/venues/artstudio.
