The Georgia Straight proudly sponsors Gait to the Spirit 2012

Three different styles of Indian classical dance will be presented at the Gait to the Spirit festival, presented by Mandala Arts and Culture at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street) from October 26 to 29. The third-annual festival will focus on odissi, kathak, and bharata natyam, and feature international artists Shalini Patnaik, Aakash Odedra, Savitha Sastry, and Canadian dancer Malavika Santhosh.

This year’s festival opens with an odissi and kathak performance on October 26 at 8 p.m. featuring Patnaik and Odedra. This will be followed by a free lecture with Odedra at 1:30 p.m. on October 27, and a bharata natyam dance presentation by Sastry at 8 p.m. that night. On October 28 at 1:30 p.m., Santhosh will perform bharata natyam in a pay-what-you-can show, and Sastry will lead workshops on October 28 and 29 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Tickets to performances are $22 to $25 and are available at Banyan Books & Sounds (3608 West 4th Avenue). Phone 604-874-8985 to register for the workshops.