choreography: Cynthia Lee in collaboration with the dancers

music composition: Ravindra Deo and Derrick Spiva, Jr.

dancers: Sheetal Gandhi, Cynthia Lee, Shyamala Moorty

musicians: cellist, tabla player, and drone

running time: 12 minutes

A contemporary kathak investigation of sam in North Indian rhythmic tradition.  Sam means "to conjoin or come together," and refers to the moment where the first and last beats of the metrical cycle merge, where musical tension is released and begins again, where union and loss coalesce.  Ranging from minimal lyricism to full-throttle physicality, the movement vocabulary integrates kathak's fluid arm movements and intricate rhythms with western dance's spatial expansiveness and touch-based interaction.

Note: The work may be performed with live musicians or recorded music.  Also, the clarinet part on the video excerpt has been re-orchestrated for cello.