Nova Dance (Toronto)

Nova Bhattacharya – Choreographer & Performer

Born in Mi’kkma’ki (Halifax) and raised in Tkaronto, Nova Bhattacharya is a ground-breaking choreographer, cultural leader and dancer. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Nova Dance, established in 2008. Her dance works breathe rich life into the world of contemporary Canadian dance.

For over 20 years, Bhattacharya has been crafting vivid images that invite the viewer on a journey of heart and mind. Integrating improvised movement and gesture, she is inventing a language that needs no translation. Her curiosities and collaborative spirit have led to a body of work widely recognized for its craft, use of space, subtlety of gesture and accessibility to audiences.  She’s always been a rebel, reinterpreting traditions to tell new stories, throughout her career she’s embraced multiple influences and her studies of Butoh, folk dance and Western dance practices have impacted her work which she describes as “uprooted” from the movement, theatre, and rhythms of Bharatnatyam.  Her critically acclaimed works have been presented across Canada, in Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and Uganda.

Her choreography has been commissioned by DanceWorks, Blue Ceiling Dance, Canada Dance Festival, Cahoots Theatre, Dusk Dances, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto Dance Theatre, Theatre Direct Canada and Dancemakers.  She has performed as a guest artist with Peggy Baker Dance Projects and Compagnie Flak and others.

Bhattacharya is the recipient of multiple awards for artistic achievement and for contributions to community: the Dancing Damsels Inc. “Women Achiever” Award (2019), the Pink Attitude “Game Changer” Award (2018), the Summerworks Outstanding Direction Award for Broken Lines (2016), the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for outstanding artistic achievement in dance (2012), and the Manasumanjali Award for Dance (1997). She’s also received multiple nominations from the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the K.M. Hunter Artist Awards and in 2021 the Eldred Family Dance Award.

Nova believes that dance expresses the essence of our humanity and has tremendous transformative power to bring us together.

Nova Dance

Founded by Nova Bhattacharya in 2008, Nova Dance brings new ideas to dance, re-inventing the possibilities of the art. The company breaks down conventions and encourages new talent with the best and most exciting in performance the world over. Nova Dance works with artists from many art forms and a multitude of backgrounds to create a community that celebrates the life-force of dance in our lives.

Nova Dance exists to bring contemporary Canadian dance towards a new future. Embracing diversity as creative inspiration for a body of work that has garnered awards, national and international recognition, and most importantly made connections with audiences and communities.

The company presents critically acclaimed works and arts events, creating a context for a diversity of dance artists to take space with their art. Equity is in the DNA of Nova Dance, and the belief that bringing differences together leads to greater things. The company is dedicated to creating meaningful points of intersection for dance and audiences; supporting artists; and celebrating the role of the arts in a vital society.

Nova Dance has initiated a wide range of projects to nurture the growth of artists, and create community enrichment programming, such as their Studio Series, Creation Labs, Date with Dance, Discover Dance, The Deep End Weekendm and paid internships.

In 2017 Nova Dance became the first dance company to be invited into a long-term relationship with Toronto’s contemporary arts hub, The Theatre Centre. Through this partnership the company has presented a current and feminist context for rituals centering the arts in our daily lives and our connection to Mother Earth. Other community partners include TO Live and Citadel + Compagnie.

Nova Dance’s work has been presented from coast to coast in Canada, as well as in Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and Uganda.

Recognized for redefining Canadian contemporary dance and re-imagining Indian classical dance idioms; Nova Dance transports audiences to a place of wonderment with work that ranges from solos to ensembles and collaborative creations.

Celebrating and challenging the art form of dance with daring, thought-provoking creations, Nova Dance holds our histories while reflecting the present; and dreams the future with dance.

Jai Govinda

Jai Govinda is the managing artistic director of Mandala Arts and Culture. Through creations, training, performances and collaborations, he expresses a broad vision for the dissemination of bharata Natyam in a Canadian context.

Govinda has been practicing bharata natyam for the past 40 years. During that time, his work as a dancer, teacher and choreographer has been acclaimed nationally and internationally. He began his dance training with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Quebec city and Montreal under full scholarship. He then received bharata natyam training from notable gurus: Shri US Krishna Rao and Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi, Shri K J Govindarajan, Smt. Jamuna Krishnan, and Dr Mamata N Nakra.

Govinda is the recipient of the Dance Centre’s 2006 Isadora Award for excellence in teaching, and for his outstanding achievements in BC’s dance community. He is also the recipient of the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award 2014 – Honouree/Dance, for leadership, innovation and support for the city’s cultural life over the course of his career. For 5 years, Jai Govinda was the curator of “Gait to the Spirit”, the first festival of Indian classical dance in Vancouver. Jai Govinda creates a space for Bharata Natyam to thrive and evolve in Canada.