Sattriya Dance Company with the Dancing Monks of Assam

Performance by the Sattriya Dance Company with the Dancing Monks of Assam. Sattriya is a dance form which is more than 500 years old, and which comes from the Vaishnavite monasteries of Assam northeast India. The dance was not accessible to women for centuries. In 2000, the Indian government recognized Sattriya as one of the country's major dance forms. Speaker Biography: The Philadelphia-based Sattriya Dance Company was launched in 2009 with a mission to tell the story of Sattriya and raise awareness about Majuli and its sattras (monasteries) through performances, lecture demonstrations, and classes. The company's artistic directors are Madhusmita Bora and Prerona Bhuyan. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=8526