“INTOXICATING TO WATCH” LAUREN WARNECKE ART INTERCEPTS “INNOVATIVE & ELECTRIFYING” LYNN SHAPIRO SEECHICAGODANCE “ARRESTINGLY POETIC” ZAC WHITTENBURG TIME OUT CHICAGO “A GIFTED “FLUID, NATURAL “BREAKING OUT STYLIST” PRACTITIONER OF THE BOX OF ALASTAIR MACAULAY OF ABHINAYA” ETHNIC DANCE” THE NEW YORK TIMES LAURA MOLZAHN CLAIRE BUSHEY CHICAGO READER TIME OUT CHICAGO “CONVICTIONS PAINTED IN AN AESTHETIC IRRESISTIBLE FOR THE AUDIENCE” SAMARTH BHASKAR SAMARTH BHASKAR BLOG THE Anjal Chande/The Soham Dance Project (TSDP) creates genre-evading solo COMPANY dance-theater work, employing introspection as both an impetus for creation as well as a sustained tonal undercurrent. Juxtaposing the personal, political, and philosophical dimensions of the individual experience, TSDP offers a frst-person vulnerability in order to foster connection in an often alienating world. Grounded in stomps and rhythms of the feet and questions beneath the surface, TSDP embraces and fows beyond Indian aesthetics to include an unexpected, unfamiliar mosaic of dance, music, and text that invites audiences to think and feel differently. TSDP aims to create works that utilize the bharatanatyam form as a dynamic medium rather than a static representation of an ethnic culture, infusing its practice with individual, idiosyncratic impulses in service of personal voice. The company prioritizes creativity over convention and self-expression over collective storytelling, making dance that is relatable, colloquial, and relevant to our everyday existence as human beings. TSDP’s contemporary bharatanatyam work has been commissioned/presented by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., West Wave Dance Festival in San Francisco, Drive East in New York City, the World Music Festival in Chicago, and more. Its work has been supported by the U.S. Fulbright Fellowship, Ragdale Foundation, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Illinois Arts Council, and numerous individual donors. Anjal Chande/The Soham Dance Project operates under the umbrella organization of Soham Dance Space, a 501(c)3 nonproft organization, based in Chicago, Illinois. Artistic Director Anjal Chande is a choreographer, composer, writer, and performer who boldly innovates and introspects through multidisciplinary dance. Paving new pathways as a contemporary bharatanatyam artist, she is also an educator and founder of Soham Dance Space, a community-centered nonproft in Chicago, which she leads with an expansive vision of the possibilities for Indian dance since 2007. Driven by an appreciation for self-reliance, Anjal takes a do-it-yourself approach to dance-making. She writes contemplative prose and composes eclectic music, combining these elements with emotive dance-theater in order to unearth refections that offer up insight and urgency. Anjal’s work invites audiences to experience the versatility of bharatanatyam dance and ignites imaginations with possibilities for its practice and development. She is a recent recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship, having spent the past year in Berlin, Germany, researching the city’s artist communities and workshopping her own performance material. Anjal has performed at venues and festivals around the world, including HZT-Berlin, Berlin Fulbright Seminar, Carnegie Mellon University, CrossLines Culture Lab at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., West Wave Dance Festival in San Francisco, Drive East in New York City, the World Music Festival in Chicago, Dazzle Jazz Club in Denver, Nrtya Sura Bharati Festival at Chinmaya Vibhooti in Pune, National Centre for the Performing Arts and National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai, and Brahma Gana Sabha and German Hall in Chennai. She is the recipient of awards from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and Illinois Arts Council. She has collaborated with numerous artists and academics, including Dr. Nico Slate, Gaurav Mazumdar, Karl Olson, Jesse Hunter, Aakash Mittal Quartet, David Ofori-Amoah, University of ANJAL CHANDE Illinois Chai-Town A Cappella Choir, Arjun Venkataswamy, Gaurav Venkateswar, and ARTISTIC DIRECTOR classical Carnatic orchestras. ANJAL CHANDE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Anjal grounds her commitment to innovation and artistic evolution in years of multi-disciplinary study with masterful teachers. She is a disciple of bharatanatyam exponent Hema Rajagopalan, having trained and performed extensively with Natya Dance Theatre, Chicago. She also studied nattuvangam and abhinaya under renowned gurus of India: Seetaram Sarma of Kalakshetra, Indira Kadambi, Jayanthi Subramaniam, and Bragha Bessell. She is a profcient percussionist and tabla player and learned under Raju Deshmukh and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music. Anjal is a lifelong student of Vedantic philosophy and the Sanskrit language through the teachings and inspiration of Swami Chinmayananda at Chinmaya Mission centers across the globe. She is a Yoga Alliance certifed teacher, having completed Moksha Yoga Chicago’s teacher training program, and holds a degree in Food Politics and Sociology from New York University. Across her passions and disciplines, Anjal holds an unwavering commitment to the sacredness of personal voice. She is sincerely devoted to creating work that upholds the integrity of her diverse knowledge while articulating her own bold convictions and inspiring others to do the same. NOW BOOKING FOR 2019-2021 For more information, contact: ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANJAL CHANDE [email protected] www.anjalchande.com vimeo.com/sohamdancespace instagram.com/sohamdancespace facebook.com/sohamdancespace twitter.com/sohamdancespace .