In Ananya Dance’s ‘Antaranga,’ women pave a path for a better world

At her speech at the Democratic National Convention last summer, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords enunciated a clear message: “Strong women get things done,” she said.

With Vice President Kamala Harris on the presidential ballot this year, and female leaders and advocates making change all over the world, Gifford’s quote has particular resonance.

Here in Minnesota, Ananya Dance Theater has its own message about the power of women in a piece that explores an imagined world where women of color embark to heal a broken world.

“Antaranga: Between You and Me” is the first in a duology of dance works that will culminate next year for ADT’s 20th-anniversary season. The two-day show debuts Friday at St. Paul’s O’Shaughnessy, before going on a national tour, hitting Chicago, Sheboygan, Wis., and Chilmark, Mass.

The work is set in a world like ours, where everyone has lost the ability to empathize. Instead, they fight for food and other resources.

Enter a group of humsafar, which translates to travel companions in Urdu. These wanderers are a feminine force moving through time and space, and they have powers of connection and healing.

Choreographer and artistic director Ananya Chatterjea harnesses her power as a dance creator to envision pathways for a better world.

“This seemed like the work we needed to do to survive,” she said. “I’m responding to what I’m seeing in the world around me. We need to heal from the difficulty of this moment. We need to push past all the distorted reality images that are cropping up.”