Focus on South Asian Dance
Tramway
Thursday 3 March | 11am to 4pm | Tramway, Glasgow
This is a professional development day for dance artists working in South Asian dance styles and techniques, to share practice and build connections.
As the UK’s leading South Asian Dance organisation, Akademi’s mission is to develop artists, inspire audiences and change lives by creating, commissioning and nurturing classical, contemporary, popular and participatory South Asian dance in the UK. The day will be facilitated by Akademi's Artistic Director, Subathra Subramanian and will include a practical creative session, space for dance artists to share about their own work and interests and time to speak with people working in key dance organisations in Scotland. Subathra will be joined by dancer and choreographer Vidya Patel.
There are a limited number of places available and TWR will provide a bursary of £75 to freelance artists to support participation. We can also contribute to any additional access costs for participating including interpretation, childcare or travel outwith Glasgow. We will operate with Covid safe working practices and expect all participants to commit to working in this way.
To register your interest in attending, please email sara@theworkroom.org.uk along with some information about your dance practice. This could be a link to your TWR members page or your website or social media profile.
Subathra Subramanian joined Akademi as Artistic Director and joint CEO in December 2019. She is the one of UK’s leading choreographers and educators working at the confluence of dance, culture and science having spent over 20 years as Artistic Director of two of the UK’s pioneering South Asian dance companies – Angika and Sadhana Dance. Subathra started her Bharatanatyam training in Malaysia at The Temple Of Fine Arts and continued it in London under Prakash Yadagudde at The Bhavan; as a qualified science teacher with a Masters Degree in Education and PGCE in Science, her dual training in Bharatanatyam and science puts her in a unique position and is highly respected within the UK’s dance and scientific communities.
Creating work for theatres, festivals and alternative spaces Subathra’s works are a result of in-depth cross art collaborations with award winning artists like Kathy Hinde and Aideen Malone alongside extended periods of research undertaken with scientists and academic institutions. Her work has toure both nationally and internationally to venues and locations including the V&A and Royal Festival Hall in London, Tanzhaus in Germany, Sziget Festival, Hungary and Kampnagel in Hamburg, Germany. As an educator Suba was co-education director of Cape Farwell where she co-organised two voyages to the High Arctic and was instrumental in writing resources for science and geography curricula from the footage, photography, art and scientific research that was carried out during the voyages.
Vidya Patel is a Birmingham based dance artist, choreographer, performer and creativity facilitator. With early foundations of Indian classical dance training in Kathak, her curiosity led practise extends past society’s boxed expectations, into new spaces, styles, forms and collaborations. She represented the South Asian Category in the inaugural BBC Young Dancer 2015 Grand Finals at Sadler's Wells broadcasted live on BBC2.
In her early career she has worked with a range of artists including Urja Desai Thakore, Ashwini Kalsekar, Gauri Diwakar, Sujata Banerjee, Altered Skin, Akademi, Ruth Brill, she was invited as a guest artist in new work by Sir Richard Alston’s dance company, toured nationally and internationally in works by Gary Clarke and Thick and Tight, and performed in the late Pandit Ravi Shankar’s opera, “Sukanya” with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
She has collaborated with a range of artists including Connor Scott & composer Shammi Pithia for a touring work supported by Sampad Arts, and most recently she collaborated with composer/ musician Sarathy Korwar and poet/writer Zia Ahmed, brought together for Anoushka Shankar ’s Southbank Summer reunion. Her performances in various works have been recognised, leading to three nominations at the National Dance Critics Circle Awards, amongst others., and continues to develop her choreographic and artistic voice.
Most recently, she was in Hetain Patel's latest short film also her acting debut, “Trinity”, touring part of the British Arts Show 9 and performed part of Hetain’s performance work “Baa’s Gold 10” performed at the National Gallery. Vidya is a Young Associate Choreographer 2020/22 at Sadler’s Wells, London. Vidya’s choreographic work on a range of dancers has premiered at Royal Opera House, Sadlers Wells and new commission for Emergence Dance is touring UK 2022. Vidya is a Choreographic mentor for One Dance UK Young Creatives programme 2022. She sits on several artist advisory boards, panels and founded digital arts community network "South Asian Dance Artists UK”.
