Usiloquy Dance Designs

Weaving the ancient techniques of Bharatanatyam with music, poetry, acting and spoken word, Usiloquy aims to unite audience from different strata of the society and engage them in an evolved consciousness through dance.

Bharatanatyam is a highly structured, complex dance form that traces its roots to Southern India thousands of years back in time. It is a dynamic, percussive dance form characterized by striking the sole, heel and ball of the foot in countless permutations and combinations with hand gestures-‘Mudras’ and multidimensional arrangements of arms and legs forming at once statuesque and fluid patterns. Facial expressions and body language reflecting the theme add further layers to this myriad, detailed collage.

A typical Bharatanatyam performance is accompanied by Classical South Indian Carnatic music, and the dancer uses elaborate silk costumes and jewelry as embellishments.

Usiloquy is a dedicated group of Bharatanatyam dancers bound together by the common joy, thrill and responsibility and that comes out of telling stories from our hearts using innovative idioms of narration.

Usiloquy takes special pride in the ethnic diversity of its dancers. This motley group of highly committed individuals is a representation of Modern day America at its best. Apart from Bharatanatyam, Usiloquy dancers are accomplished in art forms like Belly Dance, Kuchipudi, Indian Folk dances, Theater acting and Ballet, to name a few.

The dancers of Usiloquy have been studying Bharatanatyam at The Archana Dance Academy in Philadelphia with Shaily Dadiala. A typical day of holistic learning and rehearsing consists of hours of stretching, vigorous practice, refinement of technique, Nattuvanagam, (The art of reciting rhythmic syllables accompanying dance steps); Strengthening an already established group dynamic, making Usiloquy its namesake in the true sense- “Our expressions”.