Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan

The 48th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan will take place from Thursday, October 10 through Saturday, October 12, 2024.

Since the 1960s, the teaching of South Indian music, dance, and the arts have been central to the Wesleyan University curriculum. Formally established in 1976, Wesleyan’s Navaratri Festival (based on the Hindu holiday) remains an annual opportunity to celebrate this legacy, bringing together artists and scholars across campus and from throughout the world, more recently widening the focus to include representation of artforms connected to South Asia that expand the classical canon.

Highlights of this years festival include a showcase of Indian dance styles featuring Connecticut-based choreographers Sarada Nori Akella and Rachna Agrawal alongside Wesleyan students Akhil Joondeph ’26 and Tanvi Navile ’25, a concert by violin master Shri. V.V. Subrahmanyam, and a public program by graduate music student Hansini Bhasker on the history of the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Navaratri is traditionally one of India’s major Hindu festivals, a time to see family and friends, enjoy music and dance, and seek blessings for new endeavors. Wesleyan’s 48th annual festival is held in the same spirit of celebration, offering audiences a chance to experience the diversity of music and dance from India and across South Asia.

This event is part of the 48th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.