Carved in Time

Jiva Performing Arts and Mesma Belsaré presents Carved in Time, an evening of Bharatanātyam performed by Sonali Skandan and Mesma Belsaré with live Carnatic musical accompaniment, on November 14, 2026 at Gibney Dance in lower Manhattan.

The evening brings together two senior artists whose work emerges from distinct Bharatanātyam lineages. Sonali Skandan carries the Kalakshetra bani through her training with Professor C.V. Chandrasekhar and Bragha Bessell. Mesma Belsaré’s practice is rooted in the Thanjavur bani received through Padmashri Geeta Chandran and Kalakshetra bani received through Sri Shankar Hombal. A shared classical vocabulary lives within both traditions. Each lineage carries its own grammar of movement, musicality, and interpretation.

Carved in Time unfolds in two parts. Skandan opens the evening with repertoire shaped through decades of engagement with the Kalakshetra tradition. Following intermission, Belsaré presents work drawn from the Thanjavur lineage. Presented side by side, these performances reveal the breadth contained within a single classical form.

Bharatanātyam has been transmitted across generations through direct relationships between teacher and student. Within that continuity, each artist develops a distinct voice. The works presented in Carved in Time have lived in two bodies over decades of practice, performance, repetition, and refinement, carrying the imprint of lineage and the marks of individual experience.

The performance features live Carnatic accompaniment by Shiv Subramaniam (vocals), Swati Seshadri (nattuvangam), Bala Skandan (mridangam), and Vishveshwar Nagarajan (flute). Live music remains central to the form, shaping a performance built through exchange between dancer and musicians in real time.

A post-performance conversation with the artists will follow the performance.