For years, the Overture Center for the Arts has hosted various diverse, cultural events that have inspired and uplifted the community. Madisonians will get an opportunity to experience the beauty and tradition of Indian dance March 9, in an electric dance performance produced by the Kalaanjali School of Indian Dance. 

The Kids in the Rotunda series is an experience like no other, where people from all backgrounds, identities and age groups can coalesce and enjoy the enchanting aspects of a foreign world.

During this visit to the Rotunda, Founder and artistic director of the Kallanjali School of Indian Dance Meenakshi Ganesan has her students perform while she narrates over them to cultivate a profound experience and an amazing atmosphere for the audience. Various stories of the eastern world are told through the rhythm of vivacious dancers, artful positioning of bodies and the resplendent fabrics that sway to the lively music. 

Madison Arts administrator speaks on arts commission’s 50th anniversary

Ganesan founded the Kalaanjali School of Indian Dance in 2003 and has since focused its mission on spreading the art of classical Indian dance — specifically Bharatanatyam style dancing of southern India — throughout the Midwest.

The school hosts events that are completely free of charge, making the art form easily accessible to the entire community.

Besides Bharatanatyam-style dance, students at the Kalaanjali School of Dance are educated in depth on Natya Shastras, a renowned Sanskrit treatise that teaches various classical Indian arts — specifically in the field of dance, drama and theater.

The Natya Shastras offers a more holistic approach to dancing, as it covers multiple aspects such as the most minute movements in hand gestures, facial expressions and clothing, and it acts as a very comprehensive guide to movement. The Kalaanjali School of Dance also offers lessons and training in Indian Carnatic classical music, devotional bhajans and kirtans, folk songs and patriotic songs.

Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Overture Center for the Arts Alanna Medearis said Kids in the Rotunda engages with a variety of different art forms and is a great opportunity for people to discover what the Overture Center has to offer.

“Students come in with different levels of experience which is really interesting to see how students year-to-year progress, and the little kids love to watch other kids performing on stage as well,” Medearis said.

The combination of youth and adult performers makes Kids in the Rotunda quite a unique experience and suitable for almost everyone. Even children as young as 5 years old can participate in the performances.

The importance of community engagement programs such as the Kids in the Rotunda is eminent because it allows people of color to have a place that fosters connection in a welcoming and attainable way, Medearis said.

“[The series] is really important in introducing families to new art forms that they may have never seen before, and doing it in a welcoming environment that is designed for young children,” Medearis said.

Performance by EVIDENCE dance company highlights human condition

Introducing youth to different walks of life can be incredibly empowering, and offers families an invaluable education they can not obtain anywhere else.

Medearis said the energy at these performances is incredibly supportive and the children who participate genuinely enjoy improving their dancing abilities.   

“Families of Indian descent come either to see or to support dancers that they know or to support their child,” said Medearis. “You have so many families that come into the building for that specific performance which makes it really special.”

According to Meadraris, diversity, equity and inclusion programs are important to various organizations in the Madison area, including the University of Wisconsin and The Overture Center for the Arts.

A diverse student body requires an outlet to express their cultural creativity in a thriving, supportive place. 

“As an organization, we firmly believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are incredibly important, and we have a DEI department here at the Overture Center to make sure we are living those values out in the work that we do,” Medearis said.

The Kids in the Rotunda series serves as a stellar example of how the fusion of culture, community and the arts can forge an amazing experience that is fun and educational for people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. The influence that a diverse welcoming space can have, especially on young children, can be felt by the magnetic energy of the families that attend these performances every week.

The Kalaanjali School of Indian Dance will perform March 9 at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Before and after the show, families are encouraged to participate in “Arts After Overture,” a session that provides arts experiences related to the morning’s Kids in the Rotunda performance in partnership with the Madison Public Library.