Sampradaya Dance Creations

About Us

Dance Creations

Described by the New York Times as 'a dance company of rare vitality', SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations is an award winning Canadian professional dance company specializing in the creation and production of classical and contemporary dance works rooted in the Indian Classical dance form of bharatanatyam. SAMPRADAYA's strength lies in its pursuit of excellence in the creation of a stunning range of solo and ensemble works that are infused with the creativity of Indian dance vocabularies, while inspiring audiences with the its innovative approaches to traditional movement.
SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations’ maintains a strong presence in the Canadian dance scene through its national tours and festival participation. SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations has toured across Canada and internationally to India, the United States, Indonesia and Ireland.

Programming

PRESENTING SERIES

SDC’s productions are a testament to the importance we give to creativity and innovation. All our productions have taken the unique route, pushed the boundaries, thought out of the box and forged newer perspectives while sustaining the true essence of the Indian Classical Dance forms.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

SDC is committed to provide to the community. Through our various social awareness and outreach programs, we help the society, especially those from marginalised backgrounds and work with social survivors towards rehabilitation.

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Artists from the core of Sampradaya Dance Creations. Through commissioned projects, artistic initiatives, workshops, choreographic residencies etc, we work towards upskilling our company dancers while also closely working with other artists.

Lata Pada, Founder

Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher & Cultural Consultant, Lata Pada is recognized as one of Canada’s leading artists and arts advocates. An award-winning artist, she holds the distinction of being the first South Asian artist to receive the prestigious national honor of the Order of Canada in 2009. In January 2011, she was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the President of India. In 2012, she was honored with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her contribution to the community as a Canadian citizen. More recently, Lata was inducted into the 2013 Inaugural Mississauga Legend’s Row as well as being named one of the Most Influential Individuals of the City of Mississauga.

As the Founder of Sampradaya Dance Creations, Lata’s choreographic vision is compelled by her desire to redefine bharatanatyam in the ‘here and now’ as it navigates new and uncharted territory resulting in a stunning range of solos, ensemble works and multi-disciplinary productions.

Lata has trained under India’s eminent gurus Kalaimamani Kalyanasundaram and Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan. Originally from Bangalore, India, she has made Canada her home since 1964. She holds an MFA in Dance from York University and is an Adjunct Professor in their Graduate Program.

“Her clear direction in dance makes her one of the few who can successfully translate a thousand-year-old tradition into 21st century realities “
– Toronto star