Ishti has performed and taught folk dance at Chicago Summer dance, various Chicago Park Districts and CPS. This workshop will be guided by Ishti’s Artistic Co-chair Kinnari Vora. Kinnari grew up in Gujarat, India and learnt these folk forms as social practice before she joined a professional company where she was trained in dances from other regions of the country. Kinnari is thrilled to share the joy of these folk dances with the community.

Join us for this exciting 90-minute workshop at Old Town School of Folk Music

Workshop price: $25 ($23 for members)

Click here to register.

CANCELED

Free public programming, presented by ComEd! Join us in the Aon Grand Ballroom for Holi, a Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.”

There will be powder throwing at the East End Plaza and Ishti will be performing at 2:45 PM. Check out this amazing line-up!

• 1:00pm – 1:10pm | Peirce Elementary School

• 1:10pm – 1:35pm | Chitrahar Cultural Academy

• 1:40pm – 2:05pm | Bollywood Groove

• 2:10pm – 2:45pm | Surabhi Ensemble

• 2:45pm – 3:00pm | Ishti Dance

• 3:00pm – 3:45pm | Funkadesi

• 3:45pm – 4:00pm | Mandala Arts

• 4:00pm – 5:00pm | Karsh Kale with Max Zt and Priya Darshini

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti presents "Pulse of India: An Evening of Folk Dance & Music" 
(Bhangra of Punjab, Raas-Garba of Gujarat, Kalbelia and Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Sambalpuri from Odisha) 

DJ and Percussion: Bob Garret 

Percussion: Maninder Singh

The 22nd Annual Chicago SummerDance!
#ChicagoSummerDance
Thursdays-Sundays, June 28-August 25, 2018
Swing, waltz, cha-cha...or simply enjoy the music at the largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory, one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing. All FREE! 
For more info please visit www.ChicagoSummerDance.org

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti presents "Pulse of India: An Evening of Folk Dance & Music" 
(Bhangra and Giddha of Punjab, Raas-Garba of Gujarat, Kalbelia and Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Sambalpuri from Odisha) 

DJ and Percussion: Bob Garret 

Percussion: Maninder Singh

The 22nd Annual Chicago SummerDance!
#ChicagoSummerDance
Thursdays-Sundays, June 28-August 25, 2018
Swing, waltz, cha-cha...or simply enjoy the music at the largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory, one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing. All FREE! 
For more info please visit www.ChicagoSummerDance.org

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Ishti and Firebird Dance present the

Indo-Russka Romani Dance Journey: From the Indian Deserts to the Russian Plains

Join Ishti and Firebird Dance, as they showcase Rajasthani Gypsy (India) and Russka Roma (Russia) dances, unique yet interconnected styles, and explore the journey of Romani (Gypsy) art, from its roots in the deserts of Rajasthan, traversing centuries and continents, to its home in Russia. Dance the journey and explore the influences of the Roma people as they traveled across the Indian deserts through the Russian plains.

Join us at Navy Pier for Global Connections, a celebration of the diverse people and cultures that make up Chicago’s local character. Each of the free events, at the Aon Grand Ballroom, in this series at Navy Pier will feature music, dance, art and more from a variety of cultures, promising an exciting and enriching experience for all ages and cultural backgrounds.

Global Connections: Holi

Join us in the Aon Grand Ballroom for a Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.”

For more info on Global Connections, visit: https://navypier.org/explore/programming-events/global-connections/

We're collaborating with the lovely Vika Mitlyng for a performance of Indian and Ruska Romani Folk dances! Join us as we showcase the folk dances and highlight the similarities between the seemingly disparate cultures. 

Check out footage from Kinnari and Vika's Brunch & Learns to see more. 

Ishti is excited to perform as part of Federation of Indian Associations' Indian Republic Day Celebrations! Join us in a vibrant evening celebrating and honoring India's heritage. 

Ishti will premiere brand new work at Chicago Fringe Festival.

Dates: September 1, 3 and 9

Location: Gym (3rd Floor) at Congregational Church of Jefferson Park, 5320 W Giddings St

Tickets: https://dime.io/events/prakriti-a-history-of-the-present

Ishti will premiere brand new work at Chicago Fringe Festival.

Dates: September 1, 3 and 9

Location: Gym (3rd Floor) at Congregational Church of Jefferson Park, 5320 W Giddings St

Tickets: https://dime.io/events/prakriti-a-history-of-the-present

Ishti will premiere brand new work at Chicago Fringe Festival.

Dates: September 1, 3 and 9

Location: Gym (3rd Floor) at Congregational Church of Jefferson Park, 5320 W Giddings St

Tickets: https://dime.io/events/prakriti-a-history-of-the-present

Ishti is excited to announce that you will have 3 FREE opportunities to see our production "seeking to be" with Nights Out in the Parks! Each performance will be a little different. So catch all 3 shows!

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Ishti is excited to announce that you will have 3 FREE opportunities to see our production "seeking to be" with Nights Out in the Parks! Each performance will be a little different. So catch all 3 shows!

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Ishti presents

SARMISHTHA SARKAR in "Durdhara: The Unstoppable"

Don't miss this riveting performance on Amba, heroine of the Mahabharata, who's misfortunes in life result in feelings of revenge to destroy the great Bhishma! 

Sarmishtha Sarkar took her first step into Bharat Natyam at a very early age. Under the able tutelage of teachers like Padmashri Guru Chattuni Panicker and Guru Pathagudy Ramaswamy, the formative years of her life were steeped in the vigorous training required to perfect the art form. Dancing soon became an intense passion with her and it led her to become closely associated with the renowned Mrinalini Sarabhai’s Darpana Academy of Performing Arts for two decades. Experiencing an urge to add more dimensions to her creativity she started her own classical dance school in 1996, in Ahmedabad, “Aavirbhaav School of Creative Arts”.

Sarmishtha’s choreographic presentations encompass pure classical pieces in the Bharat Natyam style and also experiment with the fusion of the classical, contemporary and folk styles, which result in a unique, creative portrayal of the merging of diverse artistic endeavors. Using dance as a medium of expression, she has created several dance pieces related to topical, environment and social issues.

Purchase tickets at: ishtipresentsdurdhara.eventbrite.com

Sarmishtha Sarkar, Kinnari Vora and Preeti Veerlapati discuss Durdhara on WBEZ's segment Weekend Passport!

Ishti is excited to announce that you will have 3 FREE opportunities to see our production "seeking to be" with Nights Out in the Parks! Each performance will be a little different. So catch all 3 shows!

On July 6, we are excited to present Sarmishtha Sarkar at Nichols Park. Catch her full length performance at Logan Center for the Performing Arts on July 8. 

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

This workshop will be an exploration of your own body as well as others. Tuli will guide participants through improvisational movement scores and a series of partnered body-work. 

Tuli Bera is a Chicago based performance artist. She received her BFA from the University of Illinois. She is currently co-managing the j e l l o: a performance series, a monthly series that is hosted by Links Hall and Elastic Arts. She is also a performer with Ishti. 

Save the date and watch this page for more information!

Ishti was selected to perform excerpts of seeking to be at Going Dutch 2017. We are excited to have Anu Bhatt join us for this very special performance at the very festival where Ishti first debuted its first work Failure. 

In addition, at 6:00 pm, Preeti Veerlapati will be leading a dance workshop in Indian Classical Dance - specifically Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. 

Catch us and other strong female artists at this amazing festival. Tickets for the performance can be purchased in advance or at the door.  

Learn simple yoga asanas and breathing techniques to physically and mentally prepare for the rigors of classical dance training. Non-dancers are also welcome to attend. Instructor Chitra Nair is a classically trained Bharatanatyam Dancer and yoga practitioner. 

Reserve your spot today: ishtiyogadance.eventbrite.com

Ishti is working on its new dance production "Aadi" to be premiered at the 2017 Chicago Fringe Festival. We want to explore the modern human behavior from evolutionary psychology, focusing on the primal, social and spiritual evolution. Part of our research includes discussing your views on modern human behavior. We would love to hear your voices.

Ishti and South Asian Sound Intervention present our April Brunch & Learn! Brunch & Learns are workshops for all ages and levels. It is an opportunity to learn something new that is not readily available or accessible. The workshops are capped off with conversation and a potluck brunch.

Solomon Bower will lead our April Brunch & Learn: Modern Dance in Contemporary Times. Understand the origins of modern dance and how codified modern dance forms have not only withstood the test of time but informed contemporary styles of today.

RSVP here: ishtimoderndance.eventbrite.com