Chintan is an artist deeply devoted to the transformative power of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form. To him, Bharatanatyam goes beyond superficial appearances, serving as a window into profound metaphors within the tapestry of our lives. Recognizing its inherent spiritual essence, Chintan perceives Bharatanatyam as a medium for spiritual upliftment, one that resonates with all classical art forms. As a member of Tejas Dance, a dynamic platform established by Bhuvana Venkatraman in 2014 to enrich and popularize Bharatanatyam, Chintan finds himself immersed in the vibrant realm of this ancient art. Tejas Dance not only nurtures talent within the field but also holds a firm belief in the boundless potential of all art forms, especially Bharatanatyam. With a desire to harmonize tradition with contemporary concepts, Tejas Dance seeks to integrate this magnificent art form into diverse cultural landscapes. Within the realm of Tejas Dance, Chintan assumes the role of Artistic Director, embracing his passion as a dancer and choreographer. Firmly grounded in tradition, he continuously endeavors to infuse Bharatanatyam with new meanings, breathing fresh life into its techniques and themes. Through his dedication and enthusiasm, Chintan strives to push the boundaries of Bharatanatyam, inviting audiences to experience its timeless beauty and relevance in the modern era
Michael Garcia
Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Michael Garcia grew up with two brothers and a hard working Mother. Sports, mainly basketball, was the only positive outlet used from child to young adult. Art was only a means of entertainment, until sports became just that. At the end of high school Michael started experimenting with a camera, recording his nephew or joke videos with his brother. This was the beginning of his love for telling stories. At this time also, dance took over his love for basketball and became the driving force to create and build within the Dallas community and outside the city. From Los Angeles to Tulsa, Oklahoma to Memphis, Tennessee, Michael developed relationships with communities and built bonds with teachers that are still strong today. While building the mind and body to be the best dance artist he can be, he also builds his film career by writing, directing and producing films, events, and maintaining family life with his wife and son, plus one dog and cat.
Sean Ibáñez is a taiko percussionist, songwriter, and visual artist. With a background in sculpture and drum-building, Ibanez has built a taiko team, Goisagi, from the ground up. Music and visual arts, both on and off stage, have been his calling since receiving his MFA in 2006. Practicing in the visual arts led him to becoming a high school visual art teacher. In the following years, he also trained in taiko in Hawai’i, and formed his own ensemble that’s performed at venues like SXSW, the Fort Worth Japanese Matsuri, and at private events all around Texas. It is now his focus to build collaborative performances and to push his compositions to incorporate stronger dance and choreographic components.
Vincent Martin is a multi-instrumentalist artist who has been working in the music industry for over 30 years as a performer, composer, producer, engineer, and educator. He had the honor of studying composition under the renowned Dr. Jerry Wallace and cello with cellist Pierce Meisenbach. He has worked with various artists and producers such as Chris Kirkpatrick(N'Sync), Star Nayea(Native American Grammy Winner), Kip Winger, John Alagia(Dave Mathews, John Mayer, Rachel Yamagata), OHNO, MABUS40, The Birthday Present, & Adnan Naseem Khan(Astral Hawk Productions). He is the bassist for the Dallas-based Rock band Aztec Milk Temple (Idol Records). In 2020, Vincent and Adnan Naseem Khan developed Augury, sponsored by The Ionian Center for the Arts and Culture in Kefalonia, Greece. Augury was an immersive theatre experience with elements of ritual dance, music, ambient soundscapes, and storytelling performed in a 250,000-year-old cave in Kefalonia, Greece, in 2021.
His interest in the therapeutic properties of music and sound has brought him a new awareness of his compositions collaborating with other mind and body-conscious artists. He has recently co-created the H.E.R.O Creative Arts & Science AcademyIsorropia with Ben Callan, and their first project will be an international gathering in Meteora, Greece, with multi-media, omni-cultural artists, healers, teachers, creative minds, & critical thinkers called METEORAFEST 2024.
Garage Arts Project is thrilled to be conducting Bridges in association with Play Frisco Cultural Affairs, a wing of the Frisco Parks & Recreation Department.
Frisco Parks & Recreation Department is one of only 171 cities nationwide to be accredited by the National Recreation & Park Association, and a proud three-time winner of the Texas Recreation and Parks Society Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management. The department oversees parks and trails, special events, the Frisco Athletic Center, the Grove at Frisco Commons, the Frisco Discovery Center, the Frisco Heritage Center, and to explore Frisco through our Public Art Program.
Established in 1916, United Supermarkets LLC, d.b.a. The United Family is a Texas-based grocery chain with stores in over 54 communities across Texas and New Mexico. A selfdistributed company headquartered in Lubbock, they operate over 96 grocery stores and 38 fuel centers, under 6 unique banners with Market street being one of them. Market Street’s mission stems from 3 pillars: ultimate service, superior performance, and positive impact to the community.
NSDA was established in 1994, by Vandita Parikh, in Chennai, India. NSDA aims to promote Indian folk dances, preserve Indian folk culture, and produce quality performances highlighting the beauty, depth, and vastness of Indian folk arts.
As NSDA grew in popularity, the academy began performing at various shows and cultural events. In India, NSDA choreographed dances for local schools and colleges for competitions and cultural events. NSDA was also featured on Indian television media, such as Sun TV, Sony TV's Boogie Woogie, Doordarshan India, and India's Republic Day celebrations. By the late 90s, NSDA began incorporating workshops from local dance experts into its dance curriculum. Through this, Vandita was able to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of folk dances in her student base.
Tour the world and improve your wellness at the Plano International Festival! The area's largest cultural event has food, fun and entertainment for the whole family. Enjoy multicultural music and dance performances, ethnic food trucks, cultural displays, an art exhibit and more. Kids can explore free Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math activities plus travel the booths with a Festival Passport! Come early for free flu and COVID shots and a variety of health screenings and services at the Wellness Fair, 10am to 1pm in the Courtyard Theater. Get moving in the Fitzone with interactive fitness demos. Admission and parking are free. Visit www.planointernationalfestival.org for details. Come experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the world!
When- Saturday, Oct 14th, 2023
Where - Haggard Park, Plano, TX
Dallas
Social Venture Partners
International aims to build a global movement of partners working in their communities to create a world where all people have the opportunity to lead productive and meaningful lives.
SVP is a philanthropic network, but they do more than give away money. SVP helps those out to do good, do better – bringing together donors, nonprofits and social enterprises so we can make a greater collective impact.
Find out more by visiting, www.socialventurepartners.org
Garage Arts Project (GAP) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing an intimate and immersive platform for artists and audiences to foster creativity, and goodwill, increase appreciation of the arts and strive for better cultural understanding.
Since it’s inception in 2020, GAP has hosted several concerts, performances and workshops. In 2021, GAP launched it’s flagship eventBridges, a festival featuring Texas-based artists presenting commissioned experimental works across disciples that focus on creativity and collaborations between multi-cultural art forms.
GAP’s goal is to support and promote the work of performing artists by creating opportunities to network, collaborate, develop and advance their art. GAP strives to foster diversity in arts through integration, collaboration and partnerships.
This event was made possible by grant funding and support from:
/garageartsproject @garageartsproject info@garageartsproject.org
@garageartsproject7609 https://garageartsproject.org
