Godavari: Who Am I?

Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 2:00pm
Performance Garage in Philadelphia

Overview

Godavari: Who Am I? is an intimate multidisciplinary performance blending classical South Indian Bharatanatyam, original music, and a shifting visual landscape. Rooted in the sacred presence of the Godavari River, the work moves through a world shaped by memory, devotion, longing, and return.

Beginning at the edge of the sea, where all rivers are received, a journey unfolds inward through spaces of abundance, revelation, love, and quiet loss. Along the way, what is hidden begins to surface. Devotion reveals itself through persistence and surrender. What we carry, whether grief, desire, or memory, begins to shift through the act of returning.

Drawing from layered mythic and devotional narratives associated with the river, the performance unfolds as a series of fluid, interconnected moments. Moving between narrative and sensation, Godavari: Who Am I? traces echoes of witness, transformation, and recognition without resolving into a single story.

As the river turns toward its source, a deeper recognition emerges:

What we seek is already within us.

The Artists

Nalini Prakash, Co-Artistic Director of Spilling Ink, is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, and educator trained in Chennai by Sudharani Raghupathy. She is a dance/movement therapist and serves as Director of the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling program at Drexel University, where her work bridges performance, healing, and social justice.

Vijay Palaparty is Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Spilling Ink, a choreographer and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores dance as a collaborative, curatorial process. With a background spanning writing, cultural studies, and international affairs, he creates work that brings together movement, text, and visual expression across communities.

Ramya S. Kapadia is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist working across Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music, visual art, and writing. She performs and composes internationally, directs the Natyarpana School of Dance & Music, and creates interdisciplinary work that bridges tradition, education, and community engagement.

Tickets

$30 | Standard
$25 | Student

Venue

Performance Garage
1515 Brandywine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Founded in 2000, the Performance Garage is housed in a historic 19th-century building that was originally a horse stable. Today it is home to supportive nonprofit dance studios with residencies, educational programs, and a 110-seat dance theater.