12.06.2026, h.10:30-12:30, room 203, Building "Marco Polo" - Circonvallazione Tiburtina n.4
12/06/2026
As part of the institutional activities of the PhD Program in Music and Performing Arts, scholar and dancer Maya Kulkarni will deliver a Performance Lecture entitled “Dramaturgy in Motion” on June 12, 2026, in Room 203, Marco Polo Building (Ex Poste), Circonvallazione Tiburtina 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Shilpanatanam: Dramaturgy in Motion
The presentation focuses on a new form, Shilpanatanam, which infuses movement with meaning by treating gesture, posture, rhythm, and spatial design as vehicles for storytelling.
Drawing from both the living tradition of performance practice and the principles found in performance treatises, Shilpanatanam develops a rich vocabulary of expression.
The living tradition contributes embodied knowledge passed down through generations of performers, while dramaturgical texts provide theoretical frameworks concerning movements emotion (rasa), characterization, and dramatic structure.
Together, these sources ensure that movement carries symbolic and emotional significance rather than functioning as abstract choreography, while also drawing on philosophical ideas. This synthesis produces a distinctive aesthetic that honors tradition while speaking to contemporary sensibilities.
Dr. Kulkarni will illustrate the lecture with live demonstrations of movement and visual excerpts from her repertoire.