Gibney, New York — November 7, 2025
Lessons From My Mothers” Weaves a Poignant Tapestry of Immigrant Life
The world premiere of “Lessons From My Mothers,” presented by Jiva Performing Arts at Gibney Dance, NYC, is a deeply personal and moving exploration of immigration from India to the US. Conceived and choreographed by Sonali Skandan, the production expertly crafts an intergenerational narrative detailing the lives of three sisters in a new country. The core creative team was strengthened by the contributions of veteran artists Swati Seshadri, Rehearsal Director and Creative Collaborator, and Sreelakshmy Govardhanan, who guided the work as Creative Mentor.
Skandan shares that the inspiration for the work was a dog-eared notebook she found in her parents’ home, containing recipes her mother and aunts had written. The margins were filled with notes on how to adapt and substitute ingredients unavailable in America at that time. Skandan explains, “This work is my way of honoring those women – my mother, my aunts, my grandmothers – whose lives shaped my own journey.”
This production is a true labor of love, created by pouring hours of thought, effort, and emotion into a work that stands as a powerful testament to the mothers and women who sacrificed so much for futures unseen. Skandan, alongside proficient dancers Rithika Ashok and Aparna Shankar, interchange roles as these women. The stories seamlessly blend Abhinaya and voiceover narration (by Jeevika Bhat) with pure Nritta sequences, recounting the sacrifices, losses, joys, and adventures that culminate in the painstaking journey of learning to belong.
The choreography is an innovative and exciting interplay of unison movement, trios, duets, and solo moments. The movements are warm and earthy, effectively showcasing the strength and cross-training of all three dancers. Abstract ideas are cleverly depicted; for instance, the depiction of lonely train journeys and the monotonous passage of time was imaginative and creative. The choreography intelligently integrates elements of Bharatantyam, Kalaripayattu,and contemporary dance, thankfully avoiding the “grasshopper-type jumping” trend often seen today.
The production shines in its attention to recognizable snippets of immigrant life: cooking, oiling of hair, waiting for news, and receiving a letter (usually an aerogram) from home resonated deeply – the sharp pain of a mother combing tangled hair had many women in the audience laughing and flinching in recognition. The small details of cooking – putting water on the tava before cooking a chapati – come from an observed knowledge and memory of all three dancers. The dancers, all immigrants or daughters of immigrants, are extremely gifted performers who hold these layered, generational stories with both grace and tenderness.
Two heartbreaking solo scenes by Skandan—one depicting the anguish of leaving a small child behind to immigrate, the other portraying the grief of receiving grave news about an aging parent—brought many in the audience to tears highlighting her mastery of nuanced and mature abhinaya
The music, beautiful and soothing in rendition, was composed and directed by Rajkumar Bharathi (with input from Bala Skandan and Shiv Subramaniam). Like the choreography, it was augmented by non-Carnatic classical elements, including the wonderfully surprising inclusion of a meaningful and relevant Gujarati garba song.
The lighting was minimal, relying on spotlights to heighten poignant moments, while the costumes—like the choreography—were draped in warm, earthy tones. Together, these design elements supported the performance without overwhelming the gravity of the stories being told.
The venue, however, faced a few technical issues. Musical gaps between scenes created occasional awkward transitions, and the left and right speakers were reportedly out of phase, resulting in uneven stereophonic sound. We later learned that these were caused by software malfunctions on the venue’s end—issues one hopes Gibney Dance will address promptly. Importantly, none of these glitches detracted from the overall emotional impact of the production.
Ultimately, this single, dog-eared recipe book stands as a tangible testament to the journeys, struggles, adaptations, and eventual belonging-making not only of Skandan’s family but of countless immigrants and refugees. Just as cooking begins from scratch, these women began their new lives step by step—learning, adjusting, and rebuilding—and in doing so, created rich, full lives of community and legacy.
At a time when distances and divisions, boundaries and borders, loom large in our collective mindset, Lessons From My Mothers reminds us of what remains possible: that the path forward is shaped through community, shared effort, and mutually created belonging. Future explorations of the work might consider introducing a distinct lightscape or soundscape to differentiate the ‘old world’ from the ‘new,’ or incorporating the voice of an older woman as narrator to add another layer of generational resonance.
Aditi is a ‘semi-retired’ performer of contemporary and classical Indian dance with over 25 years of experience. Combining this background with over 20 years of yoga practice and instruction, she is often called upon as a senior dancer and mentor known for her precision and skilled eye for detail in guiding dancers and dance companies. Aditi holds an M.A. in Ethics & Society from Fordham University.