CANTON — St. Lawrence University will welcome Sonali Skandan, artistic director of Jiva Performing Arts and director of Sonali Skandan & Jiva Dance, for a special performance of Bharatanatyam Dance of India at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, in Peterson-Kermani Performance Hall.

The event is free and open to the public.

The performer, based out of New York City, will bring her talents to the stage along with a small troupe of musicians.

Skandan is an articulate performer of Bharatanatyam, a traditional Indian style of dance, which encompasses lyrical movement, drama, poetry, and mythology. According to her website, she describes the performance as “highly stylized,” characterized by “pure joy and abandonment.” Though it incorporates “poetry, literature, mythology, and temple sculpture,” Skandan strives to imbue traditional movements with universal meaning and emotions that relate to everyday life. She has been critically noted for her crisp and pointed technique and ability to expertly incorporate the art of abhinaya, or expression, into her entrancing movements.

At Jiva Performing Arts, Skandan seeks to make classical art forms exciting, engaging, and accessible to a variety of audiences. Sonali Skandan & Jiva Dance has presented its iterations of Bharatanatyam at a variety of U.S. and international dance festivals and prestigious venues, including, according to their website, the United Nations, Toronto International Dance Festival, the Downtown Dance Festival in New York City, the DanceNow Festival also in New York City, the Asian American Dance Festival in San Francisco and the Chennai Music and Dance Festival and Natyanjali Festivals in India.

The performance at Peterson-Kermani Performance Hall will feature all of the elements that make Sonali Skandan & Jiva Dance such a unique and transformative experience by incorporating innovative staging and light design as well as multimedia elements such as poetry and photography. These techniques are meant to transcend borders and generations and help new audiences relate to an ancient legacy of dance.

Deemed “compelling … riveting” by Alistair Maccauley of The New York Times, Sonali Skanda & Jiva Dance promise a captivating performance sure to enlighten these North Country winter months.

For more information about the performance, contact the Department of Performance and Communication Arts at 315-229-5806, or visit Skandan’s website at www.sonaliskandan.com.