Katha Dance Theatre

### Context Profile for Katha Dance Theatre

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   - **Mission**: Katha Dance Theatre (KDT) aims to promote and preserve the art of Kathak dance, a classical Indian dance form, while also addressing contemporary social issues through its performances. Their mission emphasizes cultural exchange and environmental awareness, particularly in relation to water conservation.
   - **Cause**: KDT uses dance as a medium to raise awareness about environmental issues, specifically the importance of protecting water sources, as highlighted in their recent production "Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey."

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - **Performances**: KDT hosts theatrical performances that blend traditional Kathak with contemporary themes, such as their world premiere of "Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey."
   - **Community Engagement**: They engage with local communities through workshops and educational programs that promote the understanding of Kathak and its cultural significance.
   - **Fundraising Campaigns**: KDT conducts fundraising efforts to support their productions and community outreach, including ticket sales for performances.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   - The tone of KDT's communications is **inspiring** and **friendly**, with a focus on community and cultural appreciation. Their language is accessible yet respectful of the art form, aiming to engage a broad audience while maintaining a professional demeanor.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   - KDT employs emojis in their communications, particularly in email reminders and event announcements (e.g., 📅 for dates, 📍 for locations). This usage is moderate and serves to enhance engagement and clarity.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: Katha Dance Theatre was founded to promote the art of Kathak and foster cultural exchange.
   - **Scale**: KDT has a small but dedicated following, with recent campaigns reaching over 10 contacts.
   - **Impact Metrics**: Their recent production "Ganga" emphasizes environmental themes and aims to inspire action against pollution.
   - **Volunteer Info**: While specific volunteer information is not detailed on the website, community engagement suggests opportunities for involvement.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - **Style**: Maintain a balance between professional and approachable language. Use active voice and engage the audience with questions or calls to action.
   - **Content Structure**: Start with a compelling introduction that outlines the purpose of the communication, followed by detailed information about events or campaigns, and conclude with a clear call to action.
   - **Personalization**: Utilize placeholders for names and other personal details to enhance engagement (e.g., "Hi {{firstname}},").
   - **Visual Elements**: Incorporate emojis where appropriate to add warmth and relatability, especially in event reminders and community outreach communications.

This context profile serves as a foundation for crafting personalized and effective content for Katha Dance Theatre, ensuring alignment with their mission, tone, and audience engagement strategies.

This discount applies to any student, including KDT students and Concordia students, as well as those aged 65 and over. ID will be required at check-in.

Students & Seniors (65+)

General Admission

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">First name , From the bottom of our hearts, we'd like to thank you for purchasing tickets to see Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey! Your purchase goes toward supporting our mission to make Kathak dance accessible, relevant and inclusive to audiences throughout Minnesota. If you would like to contribute further, register for a class, become a volunteer, schedule an outreach event, or learn more about our work, contact us at info@kathadance.org! Sincerely, Team KDThttps://www.kathadance.org/

Katha Dance Theatre (KDT) is pleased to announce the world premiere of Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey at E.M. Pearson Theatre! June 14 - 15 at 7:30 pmJune 16 at 2 pm (ASL-interpreted) With this production, director/choreographer Rita Mustaphi is premiering a film screening and live Kathak dance combination to create a unique cultural spectacle. The dance film, Ganga to Mississippi, was filmed in both India and Minnesota. The Minnesota section was created in collaboration with Sharon Day, an Ojibwe leader and Indigenous activist, artist and writer, and Jane Ramseyer Miller, former artistic director of One Voice Mixed Chorus. In Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey, the brand-new live component, North Indian Kathak dance will be performed with a non-traditional South Indian Carnatic music accompaniments; the show's composers come from South Indian Carnatic and North India Hindustani music traditions. Set to live music by these and other acclaimed guest artists, the live portion will be performed by KDT's Company dancers and apprentices. While Kathak dance is traditionally performed to purely North Indian or Hindustani music, the Kathak performers in Ganga takes on the challenge of performing to non-traditional South Indian Carnatic music, all original compositions by collaborators Nirmala Rajasekar and Jayanta Banerjee. Ganga uses Kathak to convey the universal importance of protecting and conserving water sources. It portrays the mythological creation of the river Ganga (or Ganges), depicting Ganga as a nourishing river of life, a source of religious significance, but also one of the world's most polluted rivers that needs saving from environmental destruction. Using the storytelling artform's trademark rhythmic footwork, pirouettes and gestural and facial expressiveness, Ganga emphasizes how the crucial role the Ganges plays to Asian Indians is similar to the role the Mississippi plays to Minnesotans––especially to indigenous communities. Through these mythological and real-life frameworks, Ganga calls for systemic change and urges audiences to take action against pollution. A roster of acclaimed guest musicians accompanies KDT's Company on the live portion of the performance. They include: Nirmala Rajasekar (vocals), Dipankar Mukherjee (narration), Jayanta Banerjee (sitar), Satyaprakash Mishra (tabla), Sriram N. Iyer (Mridangam), Sujeet Phanse (flute), and Abhinav Sharma (percussion). June 14 - 15 at 7:30 pmJune 16 at 2 pm (ASL-interpreted) Runtime: 90 minutes, plus 20 minute intermission with concessions provided by <a href="https://www.pizzakarma.com/" target="_blank">Pizza Karma</a> E.M. Pearson TheatreConcordia University312 Hamline Ave. N.St. Paul, MN 55104 Tickets:General Admission: $35Students &amp; Seniors (65+): $20 <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717099396/f98hmhyph31tjnvb6hl6.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;box-sizing:inherit;-webkit-user-select:none;max-width:100%" />This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Ganga was supported by New Music USA. It is also made possible by the McKnight Foundation and the F.R. Bigelow Foundation.

Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey

312 Hamline Ave N

Students & Seniors (65+)

US$20

General Admission

US$35