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Form is just a vehicle to reach others... - Sharon Lowen/ Shamshir Rai Luthra & Friends

"I’ve presented countless performances around the world, but every time I enter the stage, I start by filling myself with gratitude to each member of the audience for allowing me to share my art and heart with them. It takes “two to tango” and even a classical dance requires the interaction of both the performer and the audience. The transformation and transcendence shared with an audience just cannot happen for me in rehearsal. It’s like having a wonderful birthday present to give and being able to see the receiver’s reaction. The art of my heart is expressed in many forms; Odissi, Chhau, and Manipuri dance forms, even contemporary dance or through words. But fundamentally, Form is just the vehicle to reach others with the expression of my being, heart and soul. All the years of training in technique, music, dramatic expression and related arts are simply a framework to connect on a personal, intimate level with others, safely protected by the invisible line of the front of the performance space."

- Sharon Lowen

Sharon first came to India as a Fulbright scholar in 1973 after degrees in Dance, Humanities, Fine Arts and Asian Studies from the University of Michigan.Sharon Lowen is today a renowned artist of Odissi, Manipuri and both Mayurbhanj and Seraikella Chhau. She has contributed to improving the appreciation and understanding of Indian dance traditions, both in India and internationally, with performances for stage, television and film, scholarly articles, as a visiting professor at various universities and art centers and presenting seminars, exhibitions and festivals to encourage other arts and artists. Sharon is the founder of Manasa Center for Art Without Frontiers.