Pioneer High School Cafeteria Annex
UMS 101: Dance
Ragamala Dance Company
This class will introduce participants to the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam and explore how it remains a living tradition through the work of Ragamala Dance Company.
Participants will learn about the building blocks of this traditional dance form and understand how the musical traditions of Arabic maqam and South Indian Carnatic music inspired the dance.
After class, participants will see Written in Water, the Ragamala Dance performance that explores the concept of spiritual ascension through the 2nd-century Indian board game Paramapadam (upon which Snakes & Ladders is based) and the 12th century Persian epic The Conference of the Birds.
The instructor for this course is Sreyashi Dey. Dey is one of the foremost exponents of Odissi in the US, and the Founder and Artistic Director of Srishti Dances of India, and more recently, Akshara. Dey regularly tours the US and has also performed internationally.
To participate in UMS 101, you must register through the Rec & Ed website and pay the registration fee (which includes a ticket to the performance).
This event is part of a new collaboration between UMS and Ann Arbor Public Schools Community Education & Recreation (“Rec & Ed”).
Curious about UMS, but haven’t taken the plunge? Want to learn more about an unfamiliar artist or genre? UMS and Ann Arbor Public Schools Community Education & Recreation (“Rec & Ed”) are teaming up to offer pre-performance classes created especially for first-time UMS attendees, for curious audience members, and for anyone who simply enjoys attending performances with a group. Each UMS 101 class will be facilitated by a dance, jazz, or classical music expert and feature conversation, interactive exercises, and mini lectures that will help you better understand the genre and have a more enjoyable UMS performance experience. The classes will bring you together with other audience members who are curious about the performing arts and want to learn more.
Registration for UMS 101 includes a ticket to the performance, workshop fees, transportation to/from the performance venue, and light snacks before the performance.
Class sessions will take place at Pioneer High School, and group transportation will be provided to and from the performance venue via coach. (Sorry, no ticket exchanges or refunds for previously purchased tickets.)