MILANA, an innovative and boundary-defying collaboration, is set to premiere on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 5:30 PM at Jackson Theater, Ohlone College in Fremont, California. This groundbreaking production unites North Indian Classical dance and music, South Indian Carnatic and Jazz percussion, and American Jazz piano, forging an unparalleled artistic dialogue that redefines the traditional roles of dancer and musician.
Featuring an all-star ensemble of Labonee Mohanta (Kathak), Rohan Krishnamurthy (Carnatic percussion + Jazz Drum Kit), Colin Hogan (Jazz Piano), and special guest artist Abhisek Mallick (Sitar) from India, MILANA seamlessly dissolves musical boundaries and reimagines the relationship between dancer and musician.
Unlike conventional performances where dance follows a predetermined musical structure or fixed choreography, MILANA revolutionizes the art form by positioning the dancer as an integral member of the musical ensemble—a dancer as part of the band. Through real-time improvisation and interactive engagement between the artists, the performance comes alive in the moment, offering a fresh and immersive experience for audiences.
“While I am excited for this collaboration to expand our artistic horizons further, I really want to open up the audiences’ minds and ideas on how dance and music can interact together as one, rather than as two separate supporting elements as it’s often traditionally seen,” shares Labonee Mohanta, the visionary behind MILANA.
By weaving together North and South Indian classical traditions with American Jazz, MILANA is more than a performance—it is a cultural bridge that celebrates unity in diversity. The show aspires to transcend boundaries, proving that music and dance are not separate entities but a singular, unified force.
“One of my interests recently as an artist is to dive deeper into how I can use dance as a tool to become one with the music and surroundings around me and within myself,” Mohanta explains. “In MILANA, we all continuously create and improvise individually, yet organically synthesize with each other, like different droplets in a river that combine to flow together.”
As Milana explores the relationship between dance and music and different genres and cultures, it seeks to uplift society through diversity in oneness. It aspires to blur the lines between music and dance and transcend boundaries where they are experienced together as one harmonious whole.