York College of PA hosts documentary directed by communication prof that uses Indian dance to bring awareness of the state of oceans

A documentary written, directed, and edited by a York College of Pennsylvania faculty member that uses Indian classical dance to bring awareness to the dwindling state of our oceans will be screened at 7 p.m., Nov. 2, in DeMeester Recital Hall, Evelyn and Earle Wolf Hall. Dr. Madhavi Reddi, assistant professor of communication and director of “Through Fish Eyes,” will give a live Bharatanatyam dance performance after the screening. The event is open to the public free of charge.

Reddi joined Prakriti Dance, a Maryland-based Bharatanatyam company, as they created “Through Fish Eyes,” a 2019 art/science collaborative production that brings awareness to the state of our oceans. The dancers use the vocabulary of Bharatanatyam, the oldest Indian classical dance form, to bring marine creatures to life and portray how overfishing, pollution, and plastic have ravaged the ocean to the point of no return.

Bharatnatyam Dance (Bha-Bhavam means expression; Ra-Ragam means music, Ta-Talam means beat or rhythm, and Natyam means dance in Tamil) is regarded as the mother of many other classical dance forms in India and originated in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu.