she/her/hers

Kinnari Vora shares stories of universal human conditions and emotions through movement, meditation, and theatrical practices. Her movements are rooted in Bharatanatyam (disciple of Sarmishtha Sarkar, India), various Indian folk dances and kalaripayattu martial arts. Her work is guided by ancestral energy, wisdom of nature and collaborative communion. A Partner Artist in Residency 2022 at HCL, Kinnari researched and developed a short in-progress work to initiate the final work’s dialogue on the impermanence, mortality and end-of-life care.

The Project

HCL is supporting Kinnari as a Fellow for the final development of Antarabhava, a meditation on mortality, journey of consciousness and impermanence. This work is rooted in Kinnari’s professional healing arts practice and Indian classical, martial and folk art practice; and contemporary practices with Ishti Collective collaborators. The central scenic design is a rice floor drawing signifying impermanence, potentially created with audience participation.

The Ishti Collective plans on holding communal healing and grieving space through rituals, dialogue, performance culminating with sharing grievance food with audience members. In addition, Kinnari plans to offer several in-progress performances and is considering organizing a companion panel with guest speakers that would facilitate a version of Death café, an idea originated by Dr. Bernard Crettaz, the Swiss sociologist and anthropologist, as a space for people to gather to eat (cake), drink tea and discuss death. The objective of Kinnari’s concept café discussions is to create views helping people make the most of their (finite) lives, by covering themes shown in the performed vignettes, including death rituals, senses as building blocks of consciousness, lucid dreaming and psilocybin therapy, and end-of-life care in healthcare.

Antarabhava creative development team collaborators:

Co-lead choreographer and rehearsal director Tuli Bear

Co-choreographers Ashaand Simone, Emily Loar, Lauren Reed, Chitra Nair

About the Artist

Kinnari Vora is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and trained physical therapist and yoga practitioner. She was born and raised in India. Her contemporary works are rooted in Bharatanatyam, various Indian folk dances, and kalaripayattu martial arts. Being a physical therapist and a yoga practitioner, she integrates healing practices in her dancemaking. Kinnari is co-founder and artistic co-chair of Ishti Collective and a dancer collaborator with Surabhi Ensemble. Her works have been presented at The Art Institute of Chicago, Detroit Dance City Festival, Pivot Arts Festival, Ragdale Foundation, World Music Festival, among others; and has toured internationally to Mexico, Vietnam, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel and Poland. She was a 2022 Chicago Dancemakers Lab Artist.