encounters with beauty
Indian classical dance meets Western contemporary chamber music in this new collaborative work that weaves together the evocative sounds of the string quartet and Hindustani classical vocals with the percussive footwork and dramatic movement of kathak dance.
“With rhythmic spinning and sounds of bells, the gorgeous evening culminated in a dance of intense devotion and joy…What an exquisite evening of brilliant dance and music… This was a gift that needs to be shared”
– Joanne Divito, LA Dance Chronicle
About Encounters with Beauty
Commissioned in part by Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Experience Encounters with Beauty, a mesmerizing performance inspired by the mystical poetry tradition of 16th-century India. This cross-genre work brings the poetry of saints like Kabir, Surdas, and Meera to life through kathak dance, contemporary chamber music, and North Indian classical vocals and percussion. Created by Rukhmani Mehta and Seibi Lee, with music curated by Reena Esmail, Encounters with Beauty promises a visceral and transcendent experience.
Booking Information: Carrie Jennings, Company Manager | bookings@leela.dance | 775.560.2598
What Audiences Are Saying
“Luminous and spellbinding… a masterful innovation in dance, music, and song… With power, precision, and grace, the dancers embody mystery, discovery, and merger. The result: we are transported into a time out of time, where the longing of mystics mingle with modern-day hearts. It feels like drinking from a sacred wellspring. Or entering a chamber of the heart longing to be opened.”
– Valarie Kaur, author of See No Stranger
“Salastina’s virtuosic musicians burst forward on a journey outside of western lyric and rhythmic boundaries, and from the east Leela answers in kind with the ancient, sublime and percussive movement vocabulary of kathak dance. It is an innovative and engaging dialogue; meditative, explosive, global and timeless.”
– Ronda Berkeley, audience member
Performances
***Upcoming World Premiere Performance – April 19th 2025 at Livermore Valley Arts***
Association of Performing Arts Professionals Conference – Showcase Performance, New York, NY
The Edye at BroadStage – Work-In-Progress Performance, Santa Monica, CA
Western Arts Alliance Conference – Showcase Performance, Seattle, WA
Electric Lodge – Open Rehearsal and Reception, Venice, CA
Doheny Mansion – Excerpts and Donor Reception, Los Angeles, CA
Newman Center for the Performing Arts – Artist Residency, Denver, CO
Show Information
Run Time: 75 minutes
Cast: 5 dancers, 6 musicians
Concept: Rukhmani Mehta
Choreography: Rukhmani Mehta, Seibi Lee
Composers: Derrick Skye, Reena Esmail
Performers: Leela Dance Collective, Salastina, Saili Oak
Set Design: Matthew Antaky
Original Cast
Dancers: Rukhmani Mehta, Rachna Nivas,
Joanna Meinl, Ahana Mukherjee,
Sonali Toppur, Carrie Jennings
String Quartet: Salastina
Hindustani Vocalist: Saili Oak
Tabla Artist: Satyaprakash Mishra
Leela Dance Collective
23650 Community Street
Los Angeles, CA 91304
P: 323.457.4522
E: info@leela.dance
Bookings
P: 775.560.2598
E: bookings@leela.dance
