MMeets: Sacred Grooves for Secular Spaces

Join us for this participatory dance project led by dancer, curator and researcher Dr Nithya Nagarajan; sound artist Ria Soemardjo; and dancers Amrita Hepi, Niharika Senapati, Jessie Oshodi and Tra Mi Dinh. Via abstraction, Sacred Grooves for Secular Spaces will work with movement, gesture and symbolism drawn from the religious practice of the many people who now call Australia home. At sunset, four female dancers—facing the four cardinal directions—will lead a radical congregation of hope.

You’ll then be invited to participate in a ‘satsang’, a Sanskrit term that translates as ‘in the company of absolute truth’. This will be facilitated by High Priestess Jamie Marie Lewis, in conversation with a range of local faith leaders in contemporary Australia.

Sacred Grooves for Secular Spaces begins as an intimate prayer and culminates in a collective ritual. In an age when religion is both ammunition and shield, can a temporary structure offer refuge? We invite you to address this question alongside us—come by the MPavilion, enjoy a remarkable riverside sunset and share a contemplative space.

Established in 2014, MPavilion is an ongoing initiative of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, supported by City of Melbourne, State Government of Victoria through Creative Victoria and Development Victoria, ANZ and RACV.

MPavilion is free to the public in the Queen Victoria Gardens until Sunday 22 March 2020. For further information including program times, please visit mpavilion.org