South Asia Institute welcomes Vishnu Ramprasad (navtar), Krissy Bergmark (tabla) and Shalaka Kulkarni (movement and storytelling) as they meet on stage to intuit, explore, and evoke art from each other. Each are boundary-pushing, experimental artists in their own right, and they come together for this special concert to meet on the edge of convention and unorthodoxy, ritual and opposition. A rare performance featuring the musical sounds of the tabla drum and the navtar, a unique 9 string guitar-like instrument of musician’s own creation and paired with the movement, dance and storytelling.

EVENT DETAILS:
WHEN: Saturday, August 17, 2024 (7:00 pm start; 6:30 pm Doors Open)
WHERE: 1925 South Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60616
Tickets: $15 Students and Seniors | $20 General Admission (In Advance)| $25 (Day of the event)

Krissy Bergmark Bio: Krissy Bergmark (she/her) is a tabla player, percussionist, improviser, and educator who centers her creative work on bringing tabla to new genres and cross-genres through composition and performance with a grounded understanding of the traditions of the instrument. Bergmark has received commissions and grants through the Cedar Commissions, the Jerome Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. She composes and performs with her progressive folk trio Sprig of That, and a variety of other artists in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Chicago, and New York. Bergmark is a professor of music at Oakton College. She studies tabla with Pandit Yogesh Samsi in the Punjab Gharana. You can read more about her work at www.krissybergmark.com.

Vishnu Ramprasad: Vishnu Ramprasad is an award-winning Indian Classical, Western Classical & Jazz Fusion performer, composer, inventor and patent-holder of NAVTAR®, a unique 9-string instrument that highlights micro- nuances of Carnatic melody and Western harmony. A Fellow of the US Govt. State Department ‘OneBeat’ program and a Mentor for British Council’s India-UK RhythmXChange program, Vishnu’s superlative command over Indian Classical, Western Classical & Jazz music have gained him international acclaim, with over 500+ performances & workshops across India, UK, Europe & USA.https://www.vishnunavtar.com

Shalaka Kulkarni (she/her) is an interdisciplinary dance artist. Trained in Indian Classical dances, she creates experiences that bridge the ancient and contemporary, uplifting marginalized identities. As an actor, filmmaker, dancer and choreographer, she has toured original work and participated in collaborations in India, US and Europe. Kulkarni began training in Bharatnatyam as a child in India and in Kathak under the international artist Sandhya Desai. She holds an MFA in interdisciplinary arts and media from Columbia College Chicago. She is interested in presenting a hybrid movement practice that fuses techniques of Bharatnatyam and Kathak with other movement influences, writing and technology. Currently, she is part of the Chicago Dramatists Playwright Network as their 2024 MEH Scholar. Her work revolves around the ideas of female identity, questioning societal norms, celebrating gender fluidity, and empowering marginal voices. www.shalakakulkarni.com. Instagram: @shalaka_dance