PRESS QUOTES

Parijat Desai and group had the entire audience stunned with their remarkably fresh and strong presentation of contemporary dance. Quiet/ Fire, a musing upon the different spiritual perceptions of the role of a warrior, had the freshness of a dream. Dressed in elegant cream costumes and executing martial movements, the dancers established the atmosphere of intense physical discipline and austerity.

- Aniruddh Vasudevan, Narthaki (narthaki.com), 12/2/04


…Movements suggested a practised abandon…fluidity belied the precise hand movements that seemed to slice through the air. The magnificent thing was the use of space within which the exploration of body and soul crossed many themes….

- Chitra Mahesh, The Hindu (national newspaper), 12/3/04


That dance can be a healing art was proved again at Skirball Cultural Center….Making felicitous use of the Mark Taper Courtyard in the site-specific series, choreographer Parijat Desai, in collaboration with Liam Clancy, Iddrisu Saaka, and Denise Uyehara, performed…an elegiac take on the notion of peace.

- Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times, 5/6/03


Parijat Desai…amazed the audience with her astounding flexibility and deft movement. Drawing from modern dance, yoga and classical Indian styles, Desai integrated her style with...[a] speech by a Buddhist monk and peace activist named Thich Nhat Hanh…

- Avy Mallik, AsianWeek, 7/18/02


Rhythms Crackle in this "Quiet/Fire"….her new collaboration with composer-percussionist Kenny Endo matched thematic relevance with technical sophistication…. Desai’s trio ‘Rewired’ and the solo piece ‘Padam’ cleverly juxtaposed idioms to physicalize the complexity (and humor) of multiculturalism…

- Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times, 10/8/01


Her skills are forged from the gurus of Bharatha Natyam and modern American dance. With a great potential for expanding the form Parijat Desai tests the boundaries of movement, rhythm and technique. Her repertoire of bold, definitive interpretations reflect a South Asian milieu and a modern connotation. There is always continuity, no stumbling despite the adoption of a new format. Clarity and flair predominate and audiences do not feel alienated, nor is the dancer displaced.

- Prem Kishore, India Post, 9/8/00


Desai, in "Listening, Part 2," proved lithe and graceful, incorporating yogic moves with spins and leaps, her delicate hands weaving patterns in the air. In…"Mudakarath: Invocation of Lord Vinayaka"…a radiant Desai again offered solid rhythmic footwork.

- Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times, 5/15/00


Whether fluttering her arms, lithely leaping or directing playful moves to ‘50s samba music (in a grainy video), dancer-choreographer Parijat Desai is major talent who bears watching.

...her distinct vision proved an enchanting blend of modern, jazz and the Indian classical dance called Bharata Natyam.

Desai adhered to the rigors of Bharata Natyam. Offering clean, crisp, rhythmic attacks, coupled with solid one-legged balancing, she embodied the grace and strength of the South Indian idiom.

Desai proved a powerhouse in…her own work in progress. Joined by Cindy Chung and Angela Mattox—to a techno/sitar/drum track—this piece surged with excitement.

Desai’s voice, fresh and vibrant, is a welcome one.

- Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times, 10/23/99


[UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures Department] is also a place where students—Parijat Desai, for example—can make big breakthroughs. As an M.F.A. in choreography student, the Indian-born, American-bred Desai worked to find a bridge between her Indian heritage and her modern dance training. For her final M.F.A. concert, she created a new hybrid choreographic form...

- David Gere, UCLA Magazine, Winter 1999


Winningly fusing Bharata Natyam with modern dance and ballet, Parijat Desai gave us “Thaka Dimi,” a fluid, yet propulsive duet between her and Cassandra Chae.

- Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times, 7/26/99


[Some] Indian choreographers have adapted Western ideas with more sophistication. Desai, a graduate student at the University of California at Los Angeles, showed…duets she had made effectively fusing elements of East and West.

- Wilma Salisbury, Dance Critic, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), 7/21/96