Editing Kala Nidhi (section)

== MANDATE & HISTORY ==

Dedicated to the promotion and nurturing of Indian Dance as an integral part of the Canadian artistic life, Kala Nidhi Fine Arts of Canada is an uniquely Indo-Canadian cultural treasure. Kala Nidhi presents the greatest Indian dance artists and organizations from Canada, India and other countries. At the heart of its mandate is the belief that continued collaboration between countries and artists and the ongoing interchange of artistic traditions and styles, will create a richer dance tradition, and enhance the Canadian cultural scene. 
 
Kala Nidhi Fine Arts has taken a pioneering role in presenting the contemporary face of Indian dance while embracing its traditions; and has inspired a number of choreographers to try new approaches. Since 1993, Kala Nidhi has produced four major international festivals and two festivals showcasing emerging artists from Canada, India and the U.S. and presented numerous choreographic laboratories and workshops and master-classes with leading interpreters of the classical and contemporary Indian Dance traditions.

The international companies and artists that Kala Nidhi Fine Arts has brought to Canada include:

Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the legendary performer-choreographer of Odissi
Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan, the great custodian of the traditional art of Abhinaya (expressional dance) in Bharatanatyam
Chandralekha, a choreographer whose spellbinding contemporary works were first introduced to Canada by Kala Nidhi Fine Arts in 1993.

Kala Nidhi Fine Arts festivals explore traditional Indian dance and place it within the context of contemporary trends and dance styles from other cultures. Each festival actively engages audience members in the dialogue with scholarly experts through workshops, lectures and demonstrations, panel discussions, invited talks and presentation of scholarly papers. Whether a scholar, dance enthusiast or someone who is interested in expanding their knowledge of Indian cultural traditions, Kala Nidhi has something for everyone.

In celebration of its first decade in Canada, Kala Nidhi Fine Arts presents a major two phase international festival and conference in March 2004 and March 2005 – “A Century of Indian Dance”. Poised at the beginning of a new century, and also a new millennium, this festival-conference will look back at the century that has just ended and take stock of the multi-faceted development of Indian dance in that very eventful span of 100 years.