Pittsburgh Fringe 2025
Weaving In: A Caper
Mita Goshal Dance Theatre
Genre: Dance, Dance and Movement Theatre, Experimental, Movement
Venue: Los Sabrosos Dance Co.
Festival: Pittsburgh Fringe
Low Down
The evening consisted of four solo pieces by different artists, followed by the main act Weaving In: A Caper, choreographed by dancer and choreographer Mita Goshal. All five of these seemingly disparate experimental pieces had in common a focus on female expression and experience and, either through music or the physical representation of the dancer, concerned women of color.
Review
For one night only, Pittsburgh’s dance aficionados had the opportunity to witness an eclectic mix of experimental solo and group dance and movement pieces at the Los Sabrosos Co., which transformed into a Pittsburgh Fringe venue space for the evening. The performance did not disappoint if one is to judge by the reaction of the audience response.
The evening opened with four solo pieces by some Pittsburgh artists and at least one California dancer. Two of the four pieces, performed by Roli Nigam and Sahra DeRoy, respectively, treated the audience to classical traditions, Nigam incorporating elements of classical Indian dance (Mudras) into her movement/storytelling piece, and DeRoy captivating us with her twist on traditional belly dancing.
On the more experimental end of the opening pieces were those by dancer/chorographer Bobbi Rose’s Juliette’s Sacred Quill and artist Sritama Chatterjee’s Laughter. Both Rose and Chatterjee began with a voiceover sans music that conveyed the theme of their respective performance; for Rose, the tale of Shakespeare’s possible muse (a wealthy woman of African descent), and for Chatterjee, the power of women’s laughter in an oppressive world. While Rose used conventional music for her piece – a Bach cello suite – and her movements were unique, Chatterjee’s mix of whacking/punking proved to be something completely new to me – and she did her performance in heels!
The finale from dancer/choreographer Mita Ghosal was an expert from her new work in progress, Weaving In: A Caper! Three dancers joined Ghosal on stage to depict the lives of Bangladeshi women garment workers who have aged out of their jobs. Listing the resumes of the dancers working with Ghosal, it is easy to see why the audience enjoyed the performance! Two are current or graduates of the Point Park University dance program, one of the top programs in the country, and another has joined the Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz and Contemporary program. And Ghosal herself has presented her work professionally throughout the country, in particularly at fringe festivals.
The energy of the finale, as it mixed Bhangra, contemporary dance, and a mystery play (a form of medieval storytelling), could be felt throughout the small venue, and the smiles on the dancers’ faces were infectious. They were definitely having fun!
What I suspected at first would be a disjointed evening of unrelated dances and movement pieces ended up being educational and engaging. And since several of these are works-in-progress, I have no doubt that they will grow and develop even more given the talent and creativity of the artists.
