Bhakti: Poetry of the Body. From Bharatanatyam to Contemporary Dance
Bhakti. Poetry of the Body. From Bharatanatyam to Contemporary Dance
Mónica de la Fuente Dance Company
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium. Leganés Campus. Carlos III University of Madrid
Admission: Free admission until capacity is reached
Approximate duration: 60 minutes
As part of the UC3M India Week, the Mónica de la Fuente Company presents *Bhakti: Poetry of the Body*, a poetic journey that begins with classical Indian dance and delves into contemporary forms to explore the intersection of body, word, emotion, and spirituality.
In India, the word “Bhakti” literally means “devotion” and refers to a way of connecting with the spiritual through music, poetry, song, or dance. Drawing on this tradition, the performance takes the audience on a journey in which the body transforms words into movement and dance becomes a form of poetry.
The piece begins its journey in India’s Bhakti devotional tradition and establishes a dialogue with the mystical poetry of St. John of the Cross, before moving on to the work of José Ángel Valente and Chantal Maillard. Different eras, cultures, and poetic languages thus come together on stage through gesture and movement.
From Tradition to the Contemporary Era
“Bhakti: Poetry of the Body ” draws on some of the expressive principles of Bharatanatyam, one of India’s great classical dance traditions, and gradually evolves into a contemporary choreographic language.
The rich gestural language of Indian dance—particularly through mudras, or codified hand gestures—allows words to be translated into the body: to tell stories, describe scenes, and express emotions through movement. In this production, these traditional codes are transformed and engage in a dialogue with new forms of physical expression.
The structure of the performance symbolically evokes a journey into the depths of a temple: a journey in which the dancer-narrator traverses different physical, emotional, and spiritual spaces until she reaches an essential realm where words, silence, and movement converge.
Music accompanies this journey, ranging from traditional Indian sounds to contemporary compositions, creating a constantly evolving scenic landscape.
A production in which dance becomes the poetry of the body and a space where India and Spain meet, where tradition and modernity converge, and where the written word is expressed through movement.
Based in Valladolid, the Mónica de la Fuente Company has been engaged for more than two decades in creative and research work focused on the performing arts of India and their dialogue with contemporary forms of expression.
Dancer and choreographer Mónica de la Fuente, a specialist in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, has built a career focused on the research, creation, and promotion of Indian performing arts, building bridges between their classical traditions and contemporary dance and theater.
Activity offering academic credit for UC3M students through the Activity Passport.
For the activity to count toward your credits, you must register in advance through the Activity Passport—in addition to reserving a spot, when applicable—and sign in at the end of the activity.
You can register for UC3M India Week activities through: Activity Passport Registration
Section: On Campus / Other Activities