Shakti Dance Society
The Shakti Dance Society was incorporated as a non-profit society in Vancouver, British Columbia on August 11, 2004. Its mandate is to promote the ancient Indian Classical Dance form of Bharata Natyam through performance, production, and teaching, with an emphasis on innovation within tradition. Shakti Dance strives to make Bharata Natyam understandable and meaningful to Canadians, and reflective of their experience. Our productions illuminate both traditional wisdom as well as contemporary concerns. Recent productions have been interdisciplinary works combining the dance with contemporary forms such as film and theatre, and drawing on relevant themes for today.
Shakti Dance seeks to work with the resources that are available in Vancouver and thereby create an artistic expression representative of this city. Since there are few musicians trained in South Indian Dance available in Vancouver, artistic director Anusha Fernando has sought out musicians of many traditions to create projects that are unique and diverse, thereby turning this limitation into a strength. She feels that being adaptable and willing to work with whatever resources are at hand, is one of the distinguishing qualities of a Bharata Natyam artist in Canada.