Some Viscera premieres at MCA Chicago
Finally.
Today I’m humbled to share some big news. Some Viscera, my long-forthcoming project, will premiere this fall at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art on September 26 and 27. The premiere will be part of the MCA’s annual festival Chicago Performs and tickets are already live. Get them while you can!
Some Viscera is a body of sound and movement. Born from the death of my maternal grandmother in 2017, it takes moments from my family’s past and present to explore childhood, kinship, and memory in the Indian-American diaspora after India’s independence. Some Viscera draws on avian and floral motifs from Indian classical dance and music; medieval Sanskrit poetry; and the literary culture of India's independence movement, and integrates them with elements of Baroque chamber music and free improvisation.
In short, you’re in for a rich, beautiful evening of dance theater. And, while Some Viscera is equal parts dance and music, I’m also releasing the music as an album in September.
I’m eternally grateful to Asha Rowland, Erica Miller, Johanna Brock, and Ben Zucker for their commitment to collaborating with me to make Some Viscera all that it is. Most of us have been working on this project since 2018. Without them, neither Lykanthea nor Some Viscera would exist.
But wait! There’s more. Many of you have seen earlier versions of Some Viscera. But its premiere will be extra-special because Kinnari Vora, Tuli Bera, and Shalaka Kulkarni are joining us at the MCA. As some of the most exciting members of Chicago’s dance community, they’ll transform Some Viscera into something completely new.
It’s been years since I spoke in this space and I’m excited to return to it. In the coming months I’ll share sneak peeks of Some Viscera, talk about the research that informed its creation, and offer behind-the-scenes looks at the process of bringing it to the MCA. I hope you’ll stick around and join us in Chicago!
with love,
lakshmi
photo: Stephanie Jensen