Welcome to the Anderson Center. To enhance your enjoyment, and that of the other patrons at the performance, we ask you to observe the following:
- Patrons are welcome to bring one water bottle to the show. No other food or drink is allowed inside the theater.
- In case of an emergency, please follow an usher to the nearest exit and follow instructions to exit the building.
- Please turn off all electronic devices during the performance.
- If you need to leave the theater during the performance, for safety reasons and to minimize distractions, an usher will escort you.
- Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the house manager.
- RF hearing-assistance headsets are available. Please speak to an usher if you require one.
- Photography or recording the performance is strictly prohibited.
- Smoking, including electronic cigarettes, is not permitted.
AMP Productions Worldwide Presents
Rhythm India: Bollywood & Beyond
A Joya Kazi Unlimited Production
Sunday, March 30, 2025, 3 p.m.
Osterhout Concert Theater
Anderson Center for the Performing Arts
Binghamton University
Letter from the Director
Welcome to Rhythm India: Bollywood and Beyond. This show is my love letter to the Motherland where I was born, but left too soon to have much memory of. Nonetheless, Her music, dance, traditions and culture never left me and helped shape me into the South Asian American artist that I am today. “Bollywood” is a term coined by the West that doesn’t do justice to the multitude of classical, folk, traditional, and commercial art forms India has to offer. It unfairly groups television and film industries of different regions, music styles, theater forms, and dance disciplines into one cloudy genre. I hope that this show gives you a look into the beautiful world of just a few of the many different art forms India has to offer, both Bollywood and Beyond.
-Joya Kazi
Joya Kazi, Director & Choreographer
Joya Kazi is a 3x Telly award-winning, World Choreography award-nominated, and Universal Dance award-nominated multi-hyphenated artist. A choreographer, producer and entrepreneur who founded her company at just sixteen years old, Kazi's work has earned her a spot on the DissDash list of Coolest South Asians, and she is featured on a public mural at the Artesia Library of Los Angeles County representing the city's South Asian influence of art and culture. She is a member of the the Academy, a founding member of the Choreographer’s Guild, has served on the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominating committee and countless judging panels. Behind the camera, she represents and casts the finest South Asian dance talent and consults on productions worldwide. Joya's credits span Hollywood to Bollywood and include Mindy Kaling's "Never Have I Ever" on Netflix, where Kazi’s work was up for Emmy consideration and critically acclaimed as one of the “Best Onscreen Moments of 2020” by Mashable. Her work also includes collaborations with Disney, Dreamworks, FOX's "New Girl," Asian American Awards, International Indian Film Academy Awards, Grammys, AR Rahman, Saweetie, Meghan Trainor, DJ Snake, and the Strokes. She was Top 8 on Reality TV show "Dance Plus," has trained actors like India's Jaqueline Fernandez, Avantika, and has performed with Bollywood stars, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh and Siddharth Malhotra. Kazi has 30+ years of Indian Classical training in Kathak, Odissi and Bharatnatyam, studied theatre and dance with an emphasis in choreography and production management at UC Davis, and aims to bridge the classical and commercial worlds of the East & West with both innovation and authenticity.
Program
ACT 1: Kismat - A Bollywood Destiny
Immerse yourself in the world of Hindi cinema with classic songs from the world’s largest film industry.
ACT 2: Ghungroo Awaaz - The Voice of the Dance Bells
Step into the royal palace courts of the Mughal Era with stories of joy, heartbreak, love and longing in a time shaped by Hinduism, Islam, and the North Indian classical form of Kathak dance.
– INTERMISSION –
ACT 3: Satrang - Colors of Classical Dance
Experience the 2,000 year old traditions of Indian Classical Dance that blossomed in temples, survived colonialism and have flourished through today.
ACT 4: Mohabbat - Rise in Love
Embrace the nostalgia of heart-skipping moments that lead you to your true love.
ACT 5: Dholna - Folk Rhythms
Sway to the soulful rhythms of the villages that tell stories of everyday life from celebrations of kite flying to home remedies for removing the evil eye.
ACT 6: Taare Zameen Par - Stars Among Us
Dance along to foot-tapping songs that relish in the eclectic rhythms that bridge old and modern-day India.
ACT 7: India Wale - For the Culture
Celebrate the music, dance and culture of India!
Cast & Credits
Dancers
Joya Nandy Kazi - Director & Choreographer
Krystal Pohaku - Sr. Dance Captain
Tejeswini Chakraborty - Jr. Dance Captain
Colleen Melhuish, Naomi Namboodiripad, Manya Aggarwal, Alicia Brendel Chai, Noah Jackson, Stevie Teran, Gabriel Generalao Salazar, Erick Vera, Alonso Tavara
Narrators
Voiced by Mayurii Vasan
Special Thanks
Papiha Nandy - Costume Design
Tejeswini Chakraborty & Ashish Kumar – Contributing Choreographers
Diane Burrell – Travel Logistics
Kate Arvin – Tour Manager
PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Tour Direction
Artist Management Partners Worldwide LLC
Tim Fox - Alison Ahart Williams - Georgina Ryder
