SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

A big country with a rich cultural history, India keeps its traditions alive while creating environments for innovating into the future. Drive East, an annual festival of South Asian music and dance, is produced by the midtown-based Navatman, which aims to create a sustainable home in the metropolitan area for classical forms. In an intimate East Village space, at multiple shows nightly, you can commune with expert practitioners of dance forms both familiar and rare, including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Sattriya, and Chhau; listen to diverse music including a jam by an Afro-Indian fusion ensemble, and encounter experiments by participants in a new collaborative residency.

Mondays-Sundays, 6 p.m. Starts: Aug. 11. Continues through Aug. 17, 2014