Dvaita–Duality
The Paradox of Opposites

Date

Sunday, March 1st, 2026

Time

6 PM
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About event

Dvaita–Duality is a Kuchipudi and Balinese dance production.

Contradictions, comparison, and ultimately confluence, Dvaita | Duality is a fusion of artistic expression and philosophical inquiry. Through two distinct dance forms—Kuchipudi and Balinese—Dvaita–Duality displays the dynamic balance of opposing energies and beautifully challenges the colonial construct of gender.

Centred around Ardhanareeswara, the composite form of Shiva–Shakti, the androgynous God, the dance visualises the distinct yet complementary nature of masculine and feminine energies. A layered performance, this piece explores the philosophical questions of how our consciousness (Purusha / Male) interacts with the material world (Prakriti / Female). 

Dvaita–Duality aspires to resolve the paradox of opposites not through negotiation, but through harmonious expression and the positive influences of life.

Dancers

Gomathi, the Artistic Director of Shivamanohari School of Performing Arts in Edmonton, is a trained Kuchipudi dancer with extensive experience in South Asian Dance Drama and Theatre. She has been honored with the prestigious ‘Cultural Diversity Award’ from The Edmonton Arts Council and has received numerous grants / awards from the Canada Council for the Arts , Alberta arts foundation for her work. Gomathi has tirelessly worked to bridge communities and establish Edmonton’s first inclusive, multicultural theatre – The Cube where she is currently the artistic Curator.

Additionally, Gomathi works with the Indonesian Institute of Arts and the University of Gadjah Mada as a Guest Lecturer, offering lectures, seminars, and workshops on Indian Classical Dances, Dance and Intercultural Understanding, Dance as a Ritual, and Dance as a Cultural Identity. She is trained in the art of ‘Tholu Bommalata’ (Indian Shadow Puppetry) and ‘Wayang Kulit’ (Javanese Shadow Puppetry) at the University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, under Mr. Anggara Sri Wisnu.

Goutham Maheshwar, from Kerala, is a Kuchipudi performer, Choreographer, Teacher and Nattuvangam artist. He is a recent graduate with an MFA in Kuchipudi; also trained in Mohiniattam and Bharathnatyam. Goutham is also a Doordarshan graded artist. An active performer, he has graced stages nationally and internationally in places such as Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Oman and Canada. Goutham is the founder and artistic director of the Sattva Dance Academy, based in Thiruvananthapuram, India.

Hemali Boorada is a Kuchipudi dancer training under Guru Gomathi Boorada for the past 20 years. A lead dancer in the Shivamanohari Company, she actively tours nationally and internationally. Hemali made her choreographic debut in 2023 at NextFest and SkirtsAFire, and is now actively choreographing, with a focus on multicultural collaborations. While completing her Masters in Kuchipudi, Hemali is also currently a student-at-law.

Putu Widiantini is a dancer and choreographer who graduated from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Bali. Putu actively teaches Balinese dance for children as a form of preserving classical Balinese dance. She was also a dance director at an arts group in Vancouver Canada called Gita Asmara (2004 – 2013) and the Student Gamelan Group at the University of British Columbia Canada ((2007 – 2013). Now she is active as a dance director at Gamelan Yuganada and the Chandra Nada Ubud Arts Group. Some of her choreographies such as Dewi Usha, Kecak Anyar, JingGong, have filled world stages such as the Samulnori Competition in Chilgok South Korea 2015, Kaleidoscope Drumming Nation Kuala Lumpur 2016, Taksu Ubud 2020, Sudamala 2022 & 2023. She is now collaborating with the Shivamanohari School of Performing Arts Edmonton Canada at the Bali Arts Festival 2024.

  • Jesitta Jilju
  • Veidant Murthy
  • Alphonsa Kamble
  • Neharika Nair
  • ⁠Ni Wayan Pia Wahyuni
  • Kiana Chandanatha
  • ⁠Ni Kadek Santi Wiadnyani

Choreographers

Music

Reviews

Dvaita | Duality offered the audience more than aesthetic pleasure. It stood as a rare example of cultural collaboration grounded in mutual respect and deep inquiry, and a testament to the power of classical forms to engage timeless questions of gender identities. - Narthaki Dance Magazine.
Prof. Satish Suri
Bangalore based Dance Critic
What makes Dvaita-Duality more than a performance is how it holds past and present in the same breath. Through ancient gestures and new collaborations, it speaks of identity without borders, energy beyond gender, and tradition as a living, evolving, life force. - Indian Express
Arundhuti Banerjee
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Dancers

Who are performing?

01.

Aishwarya V. Srivatsan

02.

Anjali Aravind

03.

Apurva Komandur

04.

Fouzia Drouin

Nisl tempus, metus, sollicitudin amet, porttitor erat magna congue dui malesuada vestibulum.

05.

Ishani Singh

Nisl tempus, metus, sollicitudin amet, porttitor erat magna congue dui malesuada vestibulum.

06.

Priya Chandran

Nisl tempus, metus, sollicitudin amet, porttitor erat magna congue dui malesuada vestibulum.

07.

Rajesh Chenthy

Nisl tempus, metus, sollicitudin amet, porttitor erat magna congue dui malesuada vestibulum.

08.

Seena Nair

Nisl tempus, metus, sollicitudin amet, porttitor erat magna congue dui malesuada vestibulum.

09.

Sukanya Patel

Nisl tempus, metus, sollicitudin amet, porttitor erat magna congue dui malesuada vestibulum.

Sudha Raghuraman​

Govindarajan Raghuraman

Mahesh Krishnamurthy

Saravanapava Guhendran

Music

Live music and narration

Kathak and Bharatnatyam music composed by Vocalist Sudha Raghuraman 

Odissi music composed by Srijan Chatterjee

Special Thanks to

Choreographer & Digital Team

Saravanapava Guhendran

Choreography

Jaydeep Patel

Photography

Raghavendra Rampur

Videography

Artist GLIMPSE

Captured Unforgettable Memories