Art at the Heart: Convergence of Movement, Meaning, and Community

Our Creative Producer, Mel Hart, reflects on Nova Dance's Art at the Heart Fundraiser last month!

Mel Hart:

Our first gathering of the year was more than a fundraiser; it was a living testament of the joy, creativity and community of Nova Dance! Art at the Heart was hosted at our community partner The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance and the intimate night centered around artistic collaboration and deep connection. Thanks to your immense generosity, we raised $1,710.00 to directly fuel our upcoming 2026/2027 projects.

Thanks to our fundraising committee: Alysha Addetia, Sumana Collins, Carola Jaque, Laurie Maher and Kiru Ratnasingam, Board Members: Carole Logan and Sutapa Majumdar and volunteers: Kalaishiga Kalaichelvan, Kayannush Mehta and Carolina Rojas we decorated the space in true Nova Dance fashion: hot pink, saris, magnolias with a rock and roll vibe, and welcomed guests into theatre for a special hour.

Key voices of the Nova Dance family, Rajvi Dedhia, Nova, and myself, shared reflections on our roles, our evolving vision, and our enduring commitment to breaking boundaries and bringing transformative art into diverse public spaces.

The heartbeat of the evening pulsed through these moments of shared artistry:

  • The Namaskaram: We began the evening with our grounding ritual. Dancers and audience members joined in a collective namaskaram—a sacred pause to acknowledge our bodies, give thanks to our surroundings, and anchor our presence in the space we shared.


  • A Glimpse of Tandava: Playwright Suvendrini Lena took the stage to introduce Tandava, an evocative new work she and Nova will bring to life at the SummerWorks Performance Festival this upcoming August.


  • First Look on Film: A short video highlighted past community activations, performances and shared a glimpse of upcoming projects.


  • The Spirit of Svāhā!: The room erupted into pure joy during a vibrant warm-up with the cast of Svāhā! On the Land (Nova Bhattacharya, Rajvi Dedhia, myself, Neena Jayarajan, Yui Ugai, Kaela Willey) We shared an exclusive sneak peek of our upcoming performance happening June 26-27 at David Crombie Park.


  • The Sari Experiment: We closed the performance with a live, spontaneous experiment blending sound, movement, and the fluid unravelling and draping of a sari. It is a playful inside joke among us that dancers must do it all—but in that moment, the joke became a beautiful, breathless reality.

The evening concluded reconnecting with longtime supporters of Nova Dance while welcoming fresh faces into our circle; reminding us why we gather and create.

Thank you for stepping into the rhythm with us, supporting our passion, and helping us plant the seeds for a vibrant year ahead!_


Video recap and photos below by Mirna Chacin.


 
 
Purawai Vyas