At PICA we recognise that we are situated within the unceded lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. We pay our respects and offer our gratitude to Elders past and present, and to those emerging leaders in the community. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the importance of their care and continued connection to culture, community and Country.

Always was, always will be.

Our foyer is open today 10am–5pm . Our exhibitions are always free.

Raghav Handa

TWO

TWO

WA Premiere

In traditional Indian Kathak (pronounced “Kah-tahk”), the dancer must never touch the drums. The player commands and the dancer must follow. That’s the rule. But what happens when roles are reversed and the dancer takes control?   

Meet dancer Raghav Handa and maestro tabla musician Maharshi Raval – whose rule-breaking, intergenerational bromance sits at the heart of TWO. For ten years, Raghav and Maharshi have built a friendship typically discouraged by the hierarchy between the dancer and musician in Indian Kathak.

In this comedic, joyful celebration of collaboration, the pair present a charming, playful testament to friendship, respect, and creative trust. Filled with impressive physicality, virtuosic music, and witty encounters, Raghav Handa’s TWO is an expert, tongue-in-cheek demonstration of respectfully challenging tradition and the true power of collaboration that follows.   

Duration: 60 minutes, no interval 

School bookings are available. To book your school group, please contact education@pica.org.au.

Dates

Wednesday 20 September | 7pm
Thursday 21 September | 7pm
Friday 22 September | 7pm
Saturday 23 September | 2pm & 7pm

About the Artist

Creator, Choreographer, & Performer Raghav Handa  
Tabla Player and Performer Maharshi Raval
Designer Justine Shih Pearson  
Lighting Designer Karen Norris  
Dramaturg Julie-Anne Long  

Raghav Handa

Raghav Handa is an Australian choreographer and performer of Indian heritage. Handa has worked with Sydney Dance Company, Force Majeure, Contemporary Asian Australian Performance, Sue Healey, The National Theatre of Parramatta, and First Nations choreographers Vicki Van Hout and Marilyn Miller. Inspired by his birthright – his works combine traditional Kathak principles and contemporary movement to create multifaceted and engaging explorations of modern Australian cultural identity.   

He has worked in a variety of dance roles including choreographer, performer, collaborator, dance lecturer, artist representative and mentor for young performers. His works: TUKRE’ (2015), MENS REA (2016) and FOLLY & TIME (2018–19) have been performed across Australia and internationally to strong critical acclaim. In 2020, his work CULT OF THE TITANS was performed by Sydney Dance Company as part their New Breed platform and his work DAWN featured in the Sydney Opera House digital season of Unwrapped. In 2020, he appeared in the Sydney Festival premiere of DOUBLE DELICIOUS, an immersive theatre work by the Contemporary Asian Australian Performance and Asia TOPA festival in Melbourne.   

In 2019, with support from Australian Council, Handa completed a residency with Attakkalari dance company in Bengaluru, India and appeared in Melbourne’s Dance Massive season of YOU ANIMAL YOU by Force Majeure. In 2021, he premiered TWO in Sydney with furthers seasons at Adelaide’s OzAsia Festival, and participated in Australia Council’s inaugural Transmitter residency with Darwin Festival and Serendipity Arts India. His creations are woven through collaboration, incorporating diverse dance languages, spoken word, film, and sculptural set design.     

Maharshi Raval   

Maharshi Raval is a musician and maestro tabla player from Benaras Gharana (school) living in Sydney. Raval started his initial tabla training from his grandfather Late Shri Gajanan Rabal and then joined Saptak School of Music and continued to learn under the tutelage of Late Pt. Nandan Mehta who was a disciple of the legend of Benaras Gharana Padma Vibhushan Late Pt. Kishen Maharaj. He has been learning for the last 34 years.   

Raval has travelled extensively to various parts of the world as a soloist and an accompanist to Indian classical vocalists, instrumentalists and Kathak dancers, and won first prize for National Youth Festival Tabla Competition. He has also performed at Saptak Festival’s concerts quite often in front of audiences including Pt. Kishan Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Late Ustad Allarakha Khan, Pt. Ronu Majumdar, and many more.   

Raval conducted and directed the tabla recital of 100 students aged between three to 16 years for Indian Heritage Day, has performed in Australian national television shows like X-Factor with India Rose on Channel 7, and in Good News Week with Sarangan on Channel 10.   

Raval runs a music institute called Shree Gajanan Cultural Mission – The Institute of Indian Classical Music and Dance at various locations in Sydney like Parramatta, Westmead, Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, and Hornsby. Here, he teaches students in group and individual classes.


Supporters

TWO is produced by Performing Lines and supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW. Originally presented by FORM Dance Projects as part of Dance Bites 2021 at Riverside Theatres.

Image: Raghav Handa and Maharshi Raval, TWO, 2023, photo: Clare Hawley