Nrityagram Dance Ensemble

DANCE If it takes a village to raise a child, it may also take a village to reinvigorate an ancient art. Odissi, one of seven primary Indian dance styles, is much less well-known than kathak or bharata natyam. Locally, the Japanese-born Asako Takami is its most prominent practitioner. Known for the lyricism of its liquid movements, odissi's languorous sensuousness is inspired by the rapturous motifs on the temple facades of the Indian state of Orissa. Yet on the international performance circuit, odissi has always played second fiddle to its more spectacular cousins. That is, until odissi dancer Protima Gauri came along and founded Nrityagram, a dance village and training center. The center has became a place in which both tradition and innovation thrive. Physical and philosophical training are rigorously traditional, but the company also has its feet in the 21st century. For its San Francisco premiere, Nrityagram performs its second full-evening-length work, Sacred Space, which incorporates music and poetry in choreography that bridges sacred rituals and contemporary performance. Choreographer Suropa Sen has said, "Both the temples and the dance are but a medium for the 'pilgrim soul' searching for its mate in boundless space." Odissi may be rooted in the past, but it can also stretch into timelessness. (Rita Felciano)

NRITYAGRAM DANCE ENSEMBLE

Fri/3–Sat/4, 8 p.m.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, SF

$18–$25. (415) 978-ARTS, www.ybca.org