Roots to Rise

by Nandita Shankardass

Dance, Music/Sound

A triptych image of three female Indian dancers

In her new dance theatre work, Roots to Rise, Nandita Shankardass brings together three women, each absorbed in the chaos of their own world. Blending folk and contemporary movement with Indian classical dance, this new work follows their journey back to the land, the soil, and the stories written in the stars.

Set to polyrhythmic musical scores and guided by embodied memory, they confront personal and collective histories, learning from one another and from those who came before. In this shared journey, they reconnect with the earth, ancestral wisdom, and to the futures emerging on the horizon, celebrating freedom, resistance and community.

An image of a South Asian female dancer stood up with her arms over her head, with two female dancers sat around her in a circle and holding hands. She is wearing a white crop top and long green skirt.

An image of a South Asian female dancer with her arms outstretched and a small audience behind her.

An image of a South Asian female dancer kneeling on a patch of grass with her head tilted backwards and her arms outstretched.

“Roots to Rise was both a celebration and a poignant reminder of the importance of understanding and preserving our ecological and cultural landscapes. The work resonated deeply with our audience and highlighted the potential of outdoor art to inspire and educate.”

Sol Polo, curator OmVed Gardens

“It was absolutely beautiful! It felt like such a heartfelt reflection of our own lives, and parts of it really took me home.”

Audience Member

“Thank you, as a disabled person using a wheelchair it was wonderful to see and get inspired to be creative. It was great to see how you managed all the props on time and most of all how you involve the audience at the end. That is a picture that I will never forget.”

Audience Member

“Nandita Shankardass’s Roots to Rise never fails to warm my heart, entice me and remind me of the importance of representation of stories from the Global South on UK stages.”

Francesca Matthys, Dance Art Journal

An image of a group of three South Asian female dancers.

An image of a small audience stood in a circle with their arms outstretched and facing s circular podium with three South Asian dancers stood on it.

An image of two South Asian female dancers dancing around a maypole.

About Nandita Shankardass

Nandita Shankardass is an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, educator and facilitator. She is the founder of Welcome Movement® centered around wellbeing, creativity and freedom of expression through movement and dance. Nandita nurtures her creative practice with communities, professional artists, companies and young people, in a range of settings from theatres to public space, including museums, galleries and the outdoors. Her work explores human connection, ecology, self and collective expression inspired by exchange and co-creation, where we share our stories and harness the power of our lived experience in accessible, engaging and transformative ways.

Roots to Rise will be performing at Watermans Bell Square, Vision Redbridge and Regent Roots.

Funding, commissioning and partner credits:

Roots to Rise is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by An Indian Summer Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival, Brighton Festival.

With additional support from Old Diorama Arts Centre as part of New Narratives, The Rose Choreographic School and Studio Wayne McGregor’s FreeSpace Programme.

The R&D for Roots To Rise was supported by 101 Outdoor Arts, Seedbed Funding.

Image credits