This 'Karma' blends Bollywood dancing and circus routines to celebrate neurodivergents

Juggling, aerial acts, stilt-walking, hula-hooping, contortion, roller blading and Bollywood dancing are all part of the extravaganza when South Asian Arts & Theater House and Queer Circus MN team up to present "Karma — A Bollywood Circus."

The show features queer and neurodivergent lead performers, and looks to bolster acceptance and support for the South Asian neurodivergent community.

It follows previous SAATH productions that have taken on specific issues. In 2019, the Twin Cities-based company examined the experiences of immigrants with work visas in "Home Sweet Ghar." "Desi Heart Crust" in 2022 explored a Black and Indian romantic relationship. Last year, SAATH, which translates to togetherness in Hindi, featured a transgender performer in its production of "AKS — Acceptance, Kindness, Support," as it addressed trans visibility and acceptance.

Co-founder and artistic director Divya Maiya said the company's focus on issues within the South Asian community goes back to its beginnings in 2014 when it was called Bollywood Dance Scene. With her co-founders, Maiya went from teaching a popular Bollywood dance class at Tapestry Folkdance Center to selling out shows at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, featuring huge casts of dancers.

In 2019, the group changed its name when it realized the original moniker didn't fully encapsulate all the work it does. Besides Bollywood dance, the group has specialized in bringing together diverse groups of people for large-scale productions.

"SAATH is not a professional theater; it's a community theater," Maiya said. "We want to tell stories on a bigger scale with higher production quality. We train people to be onstage and tell their story very authentically."

After their performances of "AKS" last year, several people in SAATH's community approached Maiya about taking on the issue of neurodivergence. Among them was a friend who had recently been diagnosed with ADHD. Another person, whose child has an autistic disorder, also will be part of "Karma."

Nishanth Peters, one of the leads in "Karma," called the experience transformative.

"It's quite refreshing to find people who are not only willing to accept me as who I am in their community but also to accept the challenges and strengths that I bring to this particular show," he said.

Peters was diagnosed with autism when he was 4, and grew up at a time when there was a lot of fear around neurodivergence. Often, common treatments accepted by the mainstream were centered around punishments and rewards based on the notion that people need to be "cured" from autism.

That's not how Peters thinks about his condition. "People are realizing now that, hey, there's representation that needs to be involved in this," he said.

Peters had tried to do theater in the past, but fear would hold him back. "I was afraid to really put myself out there," he said.

Working with SAATH has been different. He was discovered by Maiya at a dance event by AfroContIgbo, a local African dance troupe, who was taken up by his body language.

"We talked and she was like, 'Hey, we have some stuff coming up. Check us out. And then one thing led to another and she pulled me aside and said, 'We want you to be a lead,'" Peters said.

He didn't have any professional dance experience, and had little training aside from a short stint learning kuchipudi, a classical Indian dance form.

"What I lack in technical training, I seem to make up for in energy and strength," he said.

Peters performs in one of three storylines in "Karma" that are all intertwined, including a story about a mother/child relationship and another about a performer and their apprentice. In the story that features Peters, his character navigates romantic relationships and job interviews as someone on the autism spectrum.

Infused into the story is a fantastical backdrop, which is where a lot of the circus arts come in. Without any spoken lines, the work employs movement, pantomime and "extravagance and beauty," said SC Scott, from Queer Circus MN, who also performs in the show.

"I think both the Queer Circus and the South Asian community enjoy that bright colorful world," she said. "When you think Bollywood, you think of a lot of movement and excitement and action, and I think this circus has a lot of those same elements."

Plus, there's crossover between the two communities, she said.

"I think as performers and entertainers, there's a lot of us who have some form of or are intimately connected with someone who does have a form of neurodivergence," Scott said. "You can kind of be a little bit more flexible with your energy and brain power, which I think can be really appealing to people in the neurodivergent spectrum. It's kind of an alternate way of existing that we didn't all necessarily grow up with that being the norm."

Scott got into the circus world first through pole dancing, and then learning the hula hoop. She joined Queer Circus MN in 2017, eventually becoming one of the producers of the show. The group regularly performs at Can Can Wonderland and Lush, plus additional places during the holidays and Pride season.

Scott also has performed with SAATH previously. A few years ago, she attended a class that turned out to be an audition. She was cast as the lead in the show. In "Karma," Scott performs a lead role and has also choreographed for the show.

"It's not often that you as an artist get to have collaborations like this," she said. "It is really fun integrating the circus acts in with Bollywood sound and movement."

'Karma — A Bollywood Circus'

When: 7 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.

Where: Luminary Art Center, 700 N. 1st St., Mpls.

Tickets: $17 students, $27, $42 VIP. Pay what you can, Aug. 7. luminaryartscenter.com or 612-333-6669.