MUDRA
MUDRA is presented as part of LookOut Series at Steppenwolf Theatre on March 13 and 14, 2026.
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MUDRA
Digital Program for March 13 and 14th, 2026
LookOut Series at Steppenwolf Theatre
Welcome
The word mudra means gesture in Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages in the world. In many classical Indian traditions, mudras are not simply hand movements—they are a language. Through gesture, dancers evoke emotions, characters, mythological narratives, and entire worlds.
This work is a journey through movement, myth, and transformation.
Drawing on the expressive languages of Indian classical dance—specifically Bharatanatyam and Kathak—and integrating elements of contemporary physical theatre, Mudra explores the symbolic power of gesture. This embodied language carries memory, emotion, and story across time.
Each movement unfolds as an invocation: to imagine, to desire, to dare, to rise, and ultimately to live fully.
Through shifting landscapes of sound, gesture, and embodied storytelling, Mudra invites audiences into a poetic world where the body becomes both archive and oracle.
Rather than presenting a single linear narrative, Mudra unfolds through states of being, inviting the audience to imagine and complete the story. Each moment is an invocation: to imagine, to desire, to dare, to rise, to uplift, to hope, and ultimately to live fully.
Artists
Created and Performed by
Shalaka Kulkarni
Featuring Guest Collaborator
Yoshinojo Fujima
Sound and Music:
Cello Piece by Zoe Keating titled 'Legions'
Taiko drum mix by Yoshinojo Fujima
All other sections – Sound design by Shalaka Kulkarni
All music is permitted for use in this performance by the artists.
Lighting Design
Matthew Chapman
Production Support
LookOut Series Producers
Patrick Zakem and Kara Davidson
Performance Order
Imagine
A quiet awakening. The space of possibility opens.
Desire
Longing begins to shape movement and form.
Dare
A moment of risk. A step beyond fear.
Rise
Transformation begins to take hold.
Music by Zoe Keating.
Uplift
An encounter that shifts the trajectory. lifting the spirit beyond limitation
Taiko Drum mix by Yoshinojo Fujima
Hope
Surrender to the unfolding path. A quiet resilience
Live
A return to the mind, body and spirit as a site of freedom.
About the Work
Mudra explores the power of gesture as a universal language.
Rooted in classical Indian dance traditions yet shaped through contemporary choreographic inquiry, the work examines how the body communicates states of being that words cannot.
Gestures become portals to mythology, personal memory, and collective experience.
The work asks:
What stories are carried in the hands?
What histories live in the body?
How can movement become a pathway toward transformation?
Program Note
I have been fascinated by Maureen Fleming’s work the moment I first saw her on stage in New York, and I continue to be so. Her work traces infinite stories with a single body, bending space and time with gesture, moving between the delicate and the otherworldly. My time with her last year has been one of the most rewarding creative, artistic, and personal moments of growth and courage. Working alongside her reminded me that dance is not only about form or technique, but about possibility, bravery, and the questions the body can ask. Her work continues to inspire me to explore how movement can open worlds that words cannot reach.
Note on Our Collaboration
Yoshinojo Fujima (a.k.a. Rika Lin) and I have been creating collaborative vignettes for some time now. Each project becomes an exchange that expands our cultural boundaries and our own creative limits. Every collaboration is a chapter of discovery, allowing new seeds to sprout as our approaches to “traditional” and “contemporary” both differ and merge.
Through sharing, challenging, and co-creating often without words, we explore movement, gesture, and rhythm in ways that are playful, transformative, and deeply resonant. These moments of dialogue and invention continue to shape in this work of MUDRA, inviting audiences into a shared imaginative space where lineage, experimentation, and collaboration converge.