URBAN KUTCHERI Friday, June 9th & Saturday June 10th at 8:00pm Joyce Soho 155 Mercer Street (between Prince and Houston) New York City NY 10012 Tickets: $15, Concessions: $10 Students and Seniors Box Office: (212)334-7479

Urban Kutcheri is a unique endeavor by New York based Indian classical artists who have come together to present their traditions in a modern light. The program presents classical Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music juxtaposed with contemporary imagery and word. Kutcheri means "a performance environment," and as such, the core of the program is the presentation of each classical item in its own context.

Audiences will be transported to the temples of South India where the priests are performing the ritual poojas while the deity is carried out to procession; to the rustic villages where crowds gather in the village square to listen to vibrant folk songs; to the grand royal courts where the temple dancers prepare to entertain the kings; and finally to the celestial sphere where the Gods are gathered together to hear Nandi, the bull, play the ancient drum for Shiva's cosmic dance.

The artists that have come together hail from a variety of genres, from dance and music to film, theatre and poetry. Sonali Skandan will be performing Bharatanatyam, featuring choreographic works by her Gurus as well as premiering her own choreography. Carnatic music will be performed by vocalist Shobana Raj and percussionist A R Balaskandan. They will be presenting works by classical composers. They will be joined by G Balaganesh on morsing and Arun Ramamurthy on violin.

Multimedia artist Mumtaj Ismail , who has written, directed and produced a number of short films, will create the video and images that create the backdrop and ambience for each scene, along with poetry and verse written by Raina Mehta. Theatre artist Nitika Nadgar, will act as the narrator, who will render the verse and set the context for each scene.