Tapa: Fervent Triggers

Performed by Kaustavi Sarkar and Tamara Williams

Premiere: March 4, 2023, CouterPulse, San Francisco, CA

(Tapa translates to heat and austerity) This evening-length production (1.5 hours) is a collaboration across Odissi (eastern Indian traditional art form), Silvestre (Afro-Brazilian modern dance), and Orisha (African spiritual forms) dances to celebrate shared histories of historical marginalization, oppression, as well as the shared resolve for imagining better futures. Sarkar collaborated with Rohini Dandavate, Tamara Williams Rosangela Silvestre (founder of Silvestre technique), Anirban Bhattacharyya (music composition and vocals), and Luciano Xavier (Afro-Brazilian drumming). Tapa premiered on March 4 2023 at CounterPulse, San Francisco, California. A work-in-progress was performed at the Faculty Dance Concert at UNC Charlotte on January 27-28, 2023.