Smaran Performing Arts 

A Thousand Years’ Journey: “A STORY OF STOLEN  ANTIQUITES”

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A Thousand Years’ Journey, an original ensemble Bharatanatyam dance-theater production

choreographed by Ganesh Vasudeva, that tells the extraordinary story of a thousand-year-old

bronze idol of Nataraja from Tamil Nadu, India. Through evocative movement, music, and

multimedia, the production reimagines the idol’s journey across centuries — from its

consecration in a temple, to its worship by generations of devotees, to its theft, displacement, and

eventual appearance on the global auction block.

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At once historical and deeply human, A Thousand Years’ Journey is narrated through the voice

of the idol itself — an eternal witness to devotion, artistry, violence, longing, and resilience.

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About the Production

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At once historical and urgent, A Thousand Years’ Journey shines light on the global trafficking of

sacred art and its impact on cultural identity. It asks: what happens when a living deity is

uprooted from its community and turned into a collectible? Where, truly, does such art belong?

Comedy, tenderness, and tragedy intertwine: lovers meet under the idol’s gaze, dancing girls

dance in eternal service, untouchables are denied entry into the temple, and collectors

commodify the sacred. Through it all, the Nataraja reflects, questions, and endures.

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Choreographer’s Note

“A Thousand Years’ Journey is about more than stolen art,” says choreographer Ganesh

Vasudeva. “It’s about memory, displacement, and resilience. These bronzes were created as

living deities, infused with devotion. What happens when they are uprooted, stripped of ritual,

and placed behind glass or under a gavel? The production asks us to reflect on how culture, faith,

and identity travel across time and borders — sometimes violently, sometimes beautifully.”

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About Bharata Dance & Allied Arts

Bharata Dance & Allied Arts is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to presenting innovative

works rooted in the South Asian tradition of Bharatanatyam. Through original choreography,

cross-disciplinary collaboration, and community engagement, Bharata Dance explores timeless

questions of identity, belonging, and the human spirit.