Tandava
The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance
Toronto, ON M5A 3A4
How to get there
Tandava
How can we honour the disappeared?
Drawing from the verses of the 6th-century Tamil poet-saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar and shaped by the histories of the Sri Lankan civil war, Tandava invites audiences into a ritual-infused performance of devotion and remembrance.
Moving through themes of creation, destruction and transformation, the work weaves percussive movement with Tamil language. It investigates elements of ancient practices that bind words and lands through inscribing and preserving text on ola leaf manuscripts.
Tandava is an interdisciplinary meditation on collective healing and affirms the belief that the body can hold and communicate what words cannot, exploring the persistence of painful memories, grief and resilience. You’ll feel the space held with love as the stories of those lost without rites or recognition are honoured.
*All performances of Tandava will be followed by a brief post-show Q&A.
Creator, Choreographer & Performer: Nova Bhattacharya
Creator, Director & Playwright: Suvendrini Lena
Performers: Karthiha Parthiban & Purawai Vyas
Composer: Kalaisan Kalaichelvan
Projection Artist: Ge (Luke) Lu
Outside Eye: Victoria Mata
Accessibility
Tandava is performed in both English and Tamil.
All performances will offer Peer Support in both English and Tamil.
You can learn more about SummerWorks' Access Measures HERE.
Sensory Advisories: burning of incense / camphor.
Content Advisories: Available here. This link will open to a webpage that lists Content Advisories for ALL SummerWorks 2026 projects.
Duration: 45 Minutes
Venue: The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance - 304 Parliament Street