Lamps on
Lilypads
Kathak dance and North Indian classical music have developed over the centuries with strong Hindu and Muslim influences. Jaysi has always had a deep appreciation for the beauty created when Hindus and Muslims come together for the purpose of sharing joy. Her parents were refugees from what is now Pakistan into India. They witnessed much bloodshed and were very fortunate to have survived the partition of India in 1947. When the Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat broke out in March of 2002, Jaysi wanted to remind the world of the beauty and joy possible when people of different faiths and persuasions come together to create rather than to destroy. Lamps on Lilypads reminds us of this with a sense of intimacy and a very light touch.
The piece premiered in San Francisco in November 2003 to a packed house. Since then it has toured the Bay Area and the Midwest in the Fall of 2004. It was translated into Spanish and shared in Havana in 2005 and in Granada, Spain in 2007 with encore performances in both places. Most recently it was presented at the Democracy Festival in Pune, India in 2008. The performers welcome invitations to share the piece again and again, considering it a great honor and pleasure.
Lamps on Lilypads is consistently embraced by audiences worldwide. People feel moved, transported, and transformed. The artful diversity and deep energy of the work makes people laugh out loud, clap, cheer, and cry with the emotion, devotion, and love they experience.
Each showing of Lamps on Lilypads has donated 10% of proceeds to SHAMA, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, employing, and empowering low-income women in India, thereby improving their communities and the future for following generations. SHAMA also works to promote mutual understanding between people of India and the United States through cultural education and exchange. For more information see their website at http://www.uwsp.edu/multicultural/SHAMA/
The piece premiered in San Francisco in November 2003 to a packed house. Since then it has toured the Bay Area and the Midwest in the Fall of 2004. It was translated into Spanish and shared in Havana in 2005 and in Granada, Spain in 2007 with encore performances in both places. Most recently it was presented at the Democracy Festival in Pune, India in 2008. The performers welcome invitations to share the piece again and again, considering it a great honor and pleasure.
Lamps on Lilypads is consistently embraced by audiences worldwide. People feel moved, transported, and transformed. The artful diversity and deep energy of the work makes people laugh out loud, clap, cheer, and cry with the emotion, devotion, and love they experience.
Each showing of Lamps on Lilypads has donated 10% of proceeds to SHAMA, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, employing, and empowering low-income women in India, thereby improving their communities and the future for following generations. SHAMA also works to promote mutual understanding between people of India and the United States through cultural education and exchange. For more information see their website at http://www.uwsp.edu/multicultural/SHAMA/