Roots to Rise
Nandita Devika Shankardass
A journey of three women reconnecting with the earth, ancestral wisdom, and the futures that might yet emerge, celebrating freedom, resistance and community.
Theatre / Dance / Music | Suitable for all ages
SAT 29 AUG | Smithfield - outside (13)
Performances | 11:20 & 16:30 | 45 mins
Dance workshop | 15:45 | 45 mins but drop in any time
ABOUT
In her new dance theatre work, Roots to Rise, Nandita Shankardass brings together three women, each absorbed in the chaos of their own world. Blending folk and contemporary movement with Indian classical dance, this new work follows their journey back to the land, the soil, and the stories written in the stars.
Set to polyrhythmic musical scores and guided by embodied memory, they confront personal and collective histories, learning from one another and from those who came before. In this shared journey, they reconnect with the earth, ancestral wisdom, and to the futures that might yet emerge, celebrating freedom, resistance and community.
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There is audience participation in this show.
Seating is available in the Sensasian Zone.
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www.nanditashankardass.com
Instagram: @nandidevi
Facebook: @nandita.shankardass
Nandita Shankardass is a Dance Artist, Choreographer, Educator, Movement facilitator and the Founder of Welcome Movement®.
To date, she is one of a few females of Indian heritage to have trained at The Royal Ballet School, becoming one of the first women of Indian heritage worldwide to pursue and fulfil a professional ballet and choreographic career in Ballet and Contemporary Dance.
She nurtures her creative practice with communities, professional artists and young people, across all ages, backgrounds and abilities in a range of settings and in public spaces from theatres, museums and galleries to the outdoors. Nandita’s work explores human connection, ecology and self and collective expression inspired by exchange and co-creation, where we share our stories and harness the power of our lived experience in accessible, engaging and transformative ways.
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Roots To Rise creation and touring in 2025 was supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Inspirate, Stockton International Riverside Festival and Brighton Festival.
The R&D for Roots To Rise was supported by 101 Outdoor Arts Seedbed Funding and OmVed Gardens
With additional support from Old Diorama Arts Centre as part of New Narratives, The Rose Choreographic School and Studio Wayne McGregor’s FreeSpace Programme.