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Our light engineer Carlo Bourguignon (from les ballets C de la B) has a golden heart and is doing his job with precision. It is a pleasure to work with him.
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The Maya Sapera Dance Company

This is our mission

We are a production company with different dance and music groups. By offering a high-quality program, we bring Indian and oriental arts to the Belgian audience.

Our productions combine different cultures in a creative and authentic way. Led by our artistic director Maya Sapera, Maya Sapera Company tours the whole of Belgium and abroad.

Pioneers in Indian dance

For many years, we have been pioneers in bringing art forms like Kalbeliya, Bollywood and Kathak to Belgium. Both on stage and in the studio.

In 2002, the Khan Brothers & Maya Sapera planted with their Rajasthani folk group the first seeds of our story. Four years later, Maya Sapera founded the first professional Bollywood dance company in Belgium.

We kept and keep on growing. So, we created our own productions, as Milaap/Encounters, Taal, Desh Rangeela ... and now Women Speak.

Because it is important to us to connect with our audience, we also work out tailor-made performances for festivals, cultural centres, music clips or events. We propose for that purpose a variety of dance styles:

Kathak (Indian classical dance of North India)
Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance of South India)
Kalbelia and other folk dances of Rajasthan (Northwest India)
Bollywood
Contemporary Indian dance
Oriental dance

We also believe that the combination of dance and live music is always powerful. That is why we love to perform together when possible. Flexibel as we are, our performances count from one till thirteen artists.

The production
"Women Speak, inspired by Mahasati"

This production is recommended by Alain Platel!

‘Women Speak’ is built up through colours, emotions and female power. Shila Mehta and Maya Sapera embark upon a search for universally recognisable elements in the classical Indian dance style Kathak. In a unique combination, these elements fuse into a brave, inspiring story. The starting point for this collaboration was the Indian dance production ‘Mahasati’.

Mahasati is a powerful female character from Indian literature who inspired Shila Mehta’s production of the same name in 2016. Mahasati's has lived a life of obstacles. Yet, with her positive attitude she overcomes her problems and liberate herself.

The artistic team of ‘Women Speak’ brings this universal legend to the present. Thus, ‘Women Speak’ tells a hopefull tale about obstacles in everyone’s life.

Women Speak is supported by

Danshuis De Ingang
Danspunt
De Vlaamse Gemeenschap (departement jeugd, cultuur en media)
Stad Gent
Universiteit Gent
Kimaya vzw

In collaboration with CC Stroming (Evergem) and Nupur Zankar Academy of Performing Arts and Research Centre
Discussing the introduction with Prof. Dr. Eva De Clercq.
From left to right Anvita Pandey, Shila Mehta, Prof. Dr. Eva De Clercq, Maya Sapera, Aaricia Ponnet

Team

From left to right Shila Mehta and Lisi Estaras with her daughter.

Choreography: Shila Mehta, Maya Sapera
Dramaturgy: Lisi Estaras
Coach: Koen Augustijnen
Repetitors: Aaricia Ponnet, Lies Heylbroeck

From left to right Shila Mehta, Koen Augustijnen, Maya Sapera

Dancers Maya Sapera Dance Company - MSDC: Maya Sapera, Aaricia Ponnet, Lies Heylbroeck, Yuka Numao, Babette Weyns, Karen Laleeuwe, Sarah Declercq, Astrid Strybol, Jolien Van De Velde, Anoukh van de Wiel

From left to right Shila Mehta, Yuka, Babette, Karen, Lies, Sarah

From left to right Lies, Karen and Anvita

Musicians: Mahabub Khan, Sattar Khan

From up to down Mahabub Khan and Sattar Khan

Guest Artists: Shila Mehta, Anvita Pandey
Costume design: Sandhya Raman
Costume dresser: Yuka Numao

Hairdresser Dirk and from left to right Yuka, Lies en Anoukh

Hair: Dirk Ponnet
Make-up: Cathy Sylvestre

Discussing lights with Carlo Bourguignon
From left to right Maya Sapera, Shila Mehta, Carlo Bourguignon

Light: Carlo Bourguignon
Sound: CC Stroming
Decor: Anneke Van Laere
Visual: Jan Marmenout

Lies working on the poster of Mahasati

Poster: Lies Heylbroeck
Communication: Astrid Strybol, Babette Weyns, Aaricia Ponnet, Jolien Van De Velde
Website: Jonathan Esposito

From left to right Yuka, Shila Mehta, Karen, Aaricia, Lisi

Production: Maya Sapera Dance Company vzw in collaboration with Nupur Zankar Academy of Performing Arts and Research Centre

From left to right Anvita, Maya Sapera and Babette in the dance studio Danshuis De Ingang.

Maya Sapera

Maya Sapera is the founder of the Maya Sapera Dance Company vzw. She grew up with Indian and oriental dances at the time that it was considered rare and exotic. She was first selected for an Indian dance performance when she was six. Since then she never stopped performing in Belgium and abroad. Besides being a elegant and captivating performer, she is also a great teacher. Her dance seeds have been sawn in Belgian, French and Chec dance companies.

Already as a teenager it was her dream to level up these dance forms. So, she created the Maya Sapera Dance Company and collaborates with Shila Mehta to propose a Kathak formation in Belgium, recognised in India.

It is important to Maya Sapera to inspire each other and collaborate. That is why the Maya Sapera Dance Company has such a beautiful and diverse team.