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 (Carola Jaque, Kiru Ratnasingam, Laurie Maher, Alysha Addetia, and Sumana Collins) and volunteers (Carolina Rojas, Sutapa Majumdar, Kalaishiga Kalaichelvan and Kayannush Mehta) we decorated the space in true Nova Dance fashion: hot pink, saris, magnolias and little rock and roll, 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 a 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 Festival this upcoming August.
First Look on Film: A short video highlighted the memories from past community activations and performances and showcasing what projects are coming up this 26/27 year!
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, Mel Hart, 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 pillars of Nova Dance while welcoming fresh faces into our circle reminded 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.
Carry the Movement Forward
Our journey into the 26/27 season has just begun, and there are many ways to stay connected to the rhythm of Nova Dance:
Experience our Vision: Watch our newly released Upcoming Projects Video to see the magic we are building next.
Join us in: Keeping an eye out for ticket details for Tandava at SummerWorks and Svāhā! at FFDN we cannot wait to see you in the audience.
Fuel the Art: Missed the event but still want to contribute? You can support our ongoing diverse space initiatives by making a donation today.