Namah Fe

05/07/2024

I will be opening for Kiran Ahluwalia and her band on May 13 at Paradiso in Santa Fe. It promises to be a fun show! Get your tickets here:

https://www.ampconcerts.org/event/428522/kiran-ahluwalia

02/02/2024

As a part of a series of events organized by the International Museum of Dance-IMOD, I will be presenting an immersive solo Bharatanatyam recital, sharing compositions from the traditional Indian classical dance repertoire at the CCA on February 16, 2024 at 6PM.

You will find the link to purchase tickets to my performance when you scroll down the webpage:
https://www.museumdance.org/exhibitions

If you’re in or around Santa Fe, I hope to see you there!

And, if you’re joining us from outside Santa Fe, use coupon code : IMODTRAVEL to get 30% off your ticket purchases.

Photo Credit: Rahul Naag
www.snehachakradhar.com

07/01/2023

Tonight in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India.

02/14/2023

Sneha Chakradhar will be presenting Bharatanatyam at the Faculty Show at Northern New Mexico College, Española on February 16, 2023 at 6pm. All are welcome, entry is free.

10/28/2022

The fun begins tomorrow! We are excited, as we launch the first edition of Namah Fe, a festival celebrating cinema, art and culture of India in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Over the next three days (Oct 28-30) there will be film screenings, classical and folk dance performances, a Kalbeliya dance workshop, Bollywood Karaoke, Henna, Vedic astrology and Rangoli making. All this with delectable Indian snacks and drinks! Come to the Jean Cocteau Cinema and experience what it’s like to go to a movie theatre in India!

https://mailchi.mp/jeancocteaucinema.com/welcome-back-to-the-jean-cocteau-cinema-729099

10/15/2022

https://mailchi.mp/jeancocteaucinema.com/welcome-back-to-the-jean-cocteau-cinema-729099

NAMAH FE: A THREE DAY DIWALI EVENT Namah Fe seeks to become an annual destination festival celebrating the classical arts, cinema and folk traditions of India. In collaboration with the Jean Cocteau Cinema, the events and performances will take place in late October, around the time of Diwali, a pop...

10/13/2022

DAY 3: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022

Folk Dance Workshop, Performance & Film

10-11:30: Rajasthani Folk Dance Workshop by Aakansha Maheshwari
Venue: MOVE Studio, 901 W San Mateo Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87501

India has a rich culture of folk traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation over centuries. The western State of Rajasthan, home to the glorious Thar desert, is especially known for its folk music and dance traditions. This workshop will be an introduction to the Rajasthani folk dance form of Kalbeliya conducted by dancer-choreographer Aakansha Maheshwari.

Kalbeliya is a gypsy tribe of snake charmers in this region and they have been historically known to be in the trade of catching snakes and dealing in snake venom. Since the Wildlife Act of 1972, this community has been pushed out of its traditional occupation and has come to rely on performing arts instead as a source of income. The Kalbeliya dancers wear flowing black skirts and they dance and twirl, replicating the movements of a serpent. Kalbeliya songs are based on stories taken from folklore and mythology and the dances are performed on special occasions.

Born and raised in India, Aakansha Maheshwari is a trained Indian classical and folk dancer. She is the founder of BollyPop, a dance-fitness program based in LA, California.Aakansha spends a few months every year in India, working with the Rajasthani folk dancers and musicians and in 2020 she co-founded Kalbeliya World- an online platform connecting indigenous dancers with students in over 30 countries. She is one of the very few performers of Kalbeliya style in the United States and we are excited to have her here in Santa Fe for the first time!

https://www.goelevent.com/JeanCocteau/e/RajasthaniFolkDanceWorkshopbyAakanshaMaheshwari

1:00- 2:45pm: Rajasthani Folk Dance Performance and Film Screening

‘Namah Fe’ culminates with a performance and lecture on folk dance traditions of Rajasthan by Aakansha Maheshwari.

This will be followed by a free screening of ‘Junun’, a documentary film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. In Spring 2015, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and ‘The Rajasthan Express’, were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at Mehrangarh Fort in India. This beautiful and joyously unique 3-week union resulted in the album and film ‘Junun’

Come to Jean Cocteau Cinema and experience what it is like to go to a movie hall in India, with delectable Indian snacks by celebrity chef Paddy Rawal at the concession and Indian cocktails at the bar

https://www.goelevent.com/JeanCocteau/e/NamahFe-DancePerformanceandFreeScreening

10/13/2022

DAY 2: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022

SPECIAL AFTERNOON EVENTS

2:00-5:00pm : ‘The Art of Making Rangolis’

Rangolis are an integral part of Indian festivities. These are patterns drawn on the floor with coloured sawdust, flower petals, rice paste, pebbles, paints etc. as a way to decorate domestic, as well as civic spaces. They are popular throughout the country, known by different names and made with a variety of materials using symbols that are intrinsic to particular cultures and occasions. Diwali is a time when people clean their houses and decorate them with strings of flowers, lights, candles and rangolis.

We will celebrate this beautiful tradition by making our own rangolis around the Jean Cocteau Cinema. It is a great activity that would bring communities together in an artistic way and something that the children would enjoy immensely. We will have some materials available, along with some sample photos. You are most welcome to bring your own materials too. For more information or to confirm participation and reserve a spot, please email us on [email protected]

2:00-5:00pm: Palm Reading by Astrologer Sanjay Soni

‘Namah Fe’ presents you with an opportunity to meet Vedic Astrologer, Palmist and Vastu consultant, Sanjay Soni at the Jean Cocteau cinema for a one-on-one palm reading session. Born and raised in a small village in North India, Sanjay received the practical knowledge of jyotish or astrology from a young age and continues to train under renowned vedic gurus in India. Through Vedic Astrology and Vastu, he has served hundreds of people around the world as a professional guide and advisor since 2019.

2:00-5:00pm: Henna Art by Mi’raj Bukhari and Shabnam

The art of henna is profoundly healing, the process being beautifully visceral. Henna has a very rich history and covers the traditions across continents and countries as far as Yemen in Africa through the Middle East, brought through the trade routes of Kandahar, Afghanistan via the Silk Road into South Asia that includes countries of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Henna, also popularly known as Mehendi in South Asia, is a herbal paste made from the dried and crushed leaves of the henna plant. As the paste dries on the skin it leaves an orange-burgundy stain of the beautiful pattern that fades away gradually over a period of a week or more. Henna is an expressive part of majestic traditions. People all over the world are enamored by henna!

Mi’raj Bukhari is a developmental therapist and case manager for infants and toddlers and an equally accomplished textile and surface designer. She recently launched “The Avizeh Collective” which empowers textile artisans like Shabana and Sadaf Najib from Afghanistan to preserve beautiful traditions and provide sustainability for refugee women and children here in Santa Fe, NM. Mi’raj and Shabana will be present at the Jean Cocteau Cinema with their henna cones to make masterful designs on your palms. If you are also interested in getting your palm read by Vedic Astrologer Sanjay Soni, make sure you go to him before getting henna!

10/13/2022

DAY 2: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022

BHARATANATYAM PERFORMANCE & FILM SCREENING

5:00- 5:30pm : Indian Classical Dance by Sneha Chakradhar

Namah Fe presents a Bharatanatyam performance by dancer-choreographer Sneha Chakradhar. Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form, which originated in the temples of south India 2000 years ago.It is a narrative dance style, which weaves together melody, rhythm, movement and expressions.

Sneha is an accomplished artist pursuing Bharatanatyam for over three decades. She has traveled the world with her dance and has performed at some of the most prestigious spaces, including the Lincoln Center in New York. Sneha will present choreographies in Bharatanatyam from the traditional repertoire with an insightful description about her dance and the dance form.

5:45- 7:30pm : ‘Vara: A Blessing’, a film by Khyentse Norbu

The dance performance will be followed by ‘Vara: A Blessing’, an English language film by Bhutanese director Dongzar Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche. This film is based on a Bengali short story about the daughter of a devadasi, who falls in love with a Muslim sculptor.

With stunning visuals, embellished by the richness of dance and Carnatic music, it unravels the complex layers of class, caste, gender and religion in a feudal set-up in rural India.

Come to Jean Cocteau Cinema and experience what it is like to go to a movie hall in India, with delectable Indian snacks by celebrity chef Paddy Rawal at the concession and Indian cocktails at the

https://www.goelevent.com/JeanCocteau/e/NamahFe-VaraScreeningPerformace

10/13/2022

DAY 1: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022

Film Screening and Bollywood Karaoke

6:00-9:00pm : Film Screening- ‘Sholay’

Namah Fe opens with ‘Sholay’, a Hindi language Indian blockbuster from the 70’s. Filmed in the rocky terrain of southern India, Sholay is a story of two criminals, Jai and Veeru, hired by a retired police officer to capture the ruthless dacoit, Gabbar Singh. This film is an epic western from India, with highly memorable dialogues and characters, beautiful scenery and entertaining song-dance sequences. A story of friendship, love, loyalty and revenge, Sholay is South Asia’s truly beloved film with an exceptionally talented starcast.

Come to Jean Cocteau Cinema and experience what it is like to go to a movie hall in India, with delectable Indian snacks by celebrity chef, Paddy Rawal at the concession and Indian cocktails at the bar.

9:00pm onwards: Bollywood Karaoke with Ketan Patel

Songs are an integral part of storytelling in Indian cinema. The music industry in India has evolved over decades with master composers, playback singers, lyricists creating songs that play a crucial role in the overall blockbuster success of the films. People in South Asia grow up singing these songs and they may not remember what they studied in middle school, but would effortlessly be able to render twenty songs starting with each letter of the Hindi alphabet.

What better way to celebrate this unique talent and love for music that most people from South Asia carry in their hearts than to have a special Bollywood Karaoke! If you have a wishlist of songs you would like to sing, share it with us on [email protected]

https://www.goelevent.com/JeanCocteau/e/NamahFe-SholayScreening

10/13/2022

Namah Fe: Celebrating Cinema, Art and Culture of India

Namah Fe is a three day cultural festival celebrating the classical arts, cinema and folk traditions of India. In collaboration with the Jean Cocteau Cinema, the events and performances will take place in late October, around the time of Diwali, a popular Indian festival of lights, in the Railyard district of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For more information and to buy tickets:
https://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/namah-fe