icchā
Culture Lab LIC5-25 46th Avenue, New York 11101
At Culture Lab LIC, icchā is presented as a contemporary kathak work rather than a conventional band set. The piece weaves original music and set design with garba, the communal Gujarati folk form, to explore desire, embodiment and inherited memory. Its story follows Barkha, visited in a dream by maternal ancestors who choose her to express, release and fulfill desires shaped by survival, loss, violence, intimacy, and the denial of dance and embodied selfhood. The Friday presentation is the first of three listed performances of the work.
The title refers to desire, and the work draws on the Hindu philosophical idea of vasanas: unfulfilled longings that survive physical death and continue through bloodlines as living desire. icchā considers matrilineages that have been unnamed, interrupted or absorbed into patriarchal histories, treating the body as a carrier of ancestral history. It asks who we carry within us, and what unfinished reaching might remain in the body. The listing describes the piece as a “somatic shraadh,” an act of ancestral reverence for secret tragedies that have dissolved with time. No further background about the creators or performers is provided.
Culture Lab LIC occupies a spacious converted warehouse that blends art and performance in a uniquely versatile setting. The venue features two fine art galleries and an 80-seat theater, creating a diverse cultural environment where visual and live arts intersect. Events range from jazz evenings to immersive theater and community gatherings, often held in the large outdoor space that adds an open-air dimension to the experience. The audience can expect a focused listening environment with ticketed shows that support local and international artists, fostering a strong sense of community and inclusion. The venue’s commitment to equity and diversity is reflected in its programming and welcoming atmosphere, making an evening here both engaging and enriching beyond just the music or performance.