BY DEVIKA C.MEHTA
LOS ANGELES, Ca - Dance is not just a musical act but a critical mixture of creative and cultural backgrounds. The thought has been nicely implemented by twin sisters Riya and Sara Kapoor, who have been collecting accolades for their brilliant fusion dance performances across America. In summer 2017, they stunned audiences with...
LOS ANGELES, Ca - Dance is not just a musical act but a critical mixture of creative and cultural backgrounds. The thought has been nicely implemented by twin sisters Riya and Sara Kapoor, who have been collecting accolades for their brilliant fusion dance performances across America. In summer 2017, they stunned audiences with...
their phenomenal performance at a special presentation of the Newport Jazz Festival. ‘A Bridge Together’ was their unique performative blend of traditional Indian dance, Jazz and their newest addition of West African music that wowed everybody. The girls first debuted at the Lincoln Center in New York on December 12, 2015 at the age of 15, but their lessons go back to the days when they were as young as five. Both Riya and Sara love to perform together but are individuals with variations of talent and while they call the ‘together act’ difficult yet feel that it is a very different experience from dancing a solo. “ We wouldn’t characterize it as harder or easier. It is definitely a lot of fun!” they explain.
So, what makes them different and their practices novel? Well, it is their innovative mix of fusing traditional Indian style dance, Jazz and West African music that makes their presentations upbeat and exciting. However, this has always been a lethal combination and they couldn’t agree more. “More difficult, I think, than actually combining the art forms was getting those around us to believe that it would actually work,” Riya mentions.
Sara adds, “When Riya and I first thought to marry the three distinct genres we certainly had no idea what to expect. There is a very difficult balance that we had to master, but I think what Riya and I recognized throughout was that it was certainly not an impossible feat. There were so many common threads that ran through these different styles of music that we knew they would sound harmonious with enough effort.” As an artist their beliefs about the future of dance and music lies in the fact that art has the capacity to transcend cultural barriers, and thus they look forward to extrapolating the interesting parts of ancient art form and modernizing them.
Meanwhile, current times have turned turbulent for Indian Americans, so they find themselves in playing an active role by blending diverse art forms to unite people from different cultures, races, heritages etc.
“We feel confident in the potential we have to change social perceptions about the definitions of culture and language. Not to mention, the fact that viewing ourselves as equally Indian and American gives us a strong personal tie to this cause. Into today’s political climate it is so important that we all remain unified in some way.” Their message is clear and vibrant; to fellow Indian dancers who are just beginning they advise- “Respect tradition but don’t fear innovation.” Their incredible journey of hope and talent has just begun as they believe- “Our biggest hope and dream is that everyone around us will one day see what we see in these shows: a lesson in commonalities across cultures and two hours of extraordinary entertainment.” Currently, Riya and Sara are in the process of creating entirely new compositions, which are ‘far bolder and far more exciting than anything they have made thus far!’
So, what makes them different and their practices novel? Well, it is their innovative mix of fusing traditional Indian style dance, Jazz and West African music that makes their presentations upbeat and exciting. However, this has always been a lethal combination and they couldn’t agree more. “More difficult, I think, than actually combining the art forms was getting those around us to believe that it would actually work,” Riya mentions.
Sara adds, “When Riya and I first thought to marry the three distinct genres we certainly had no idea what to expect. There is a very difficult balance that we had to master, but I think what Riya and I recognized throughout was that it was certainly not an impossible feat. There were so many common threads that ran through these different styles of music that we knew they would sound harmonious with enough effort.” As an artist their beliefs about the future of dance and music lies in the fact that art has the capacity to transcend cultural barriers, and thus they look forward to extrapolating the interesting parts of ancient art form and modernizing them.
Meanwhile, current times have turned turbulent for Indian Americans, so they find themselves in playing an active role by blending diverse art forms to unite people from different cultures, races, heritages etc.
“We feel confident in the potential we have to change social perceptions about the definitions of culture and language. Not to mention, the fact that viewing ourselves as equally Indian and American gives us a strong personal tie to this cause. Into today’s political climate it is so important that we all remain unified in some way.” Their message is clear and vibrant; to fellow Indian dancers who are just beginning they advise- “Respect tradition but don’t fear innovation.” Their incredible journey of hope and talent has just begun as they believe- “Our biggest hope and dream is that everyone around us will one day see what we see in these shows: a lesson in commonalities across cultures and two hours of extraordinary entertainment.” Currently, Riya and Sara are in the process of creating entirely new compositions, which are ‘far bolder and far more exciting than anything they have made thus far!’
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