A two day Dance Festival “Madhavi” – dedicated to works in Bharatanatyam featuring Vaibhav Arekar and ensemble presenting “Nama Mahna” (based on the spiritual awakening of Sant Namdev) and Rama Vaidyanathan and ensemble presenting “Vivartana”, at the India Habitat Centre.
DanzLenz showing for Natya Balet Centre’s 3rd Inside/Outside event as part of a promenade performance evening called the INSIDE/OUTSIDE Performance Evening, to mark the occasion of World Dance day.
Profiling the History of Indian Dance in the USA”- A two part series of pioneers of Indian dance in America and its state today. The talk looked at the grafting of Indian dance in the cultural landscape of the United States of America through multiple lenses of diaspora, cross-cultural citizenship, law, sexuality and migration studies. At India International Centre, New Delhi on 15th & 16th May, 2018. Chair: Ambassador Lalit Mansingh, Former Foreign Secretary, Government of India and former Ambassador to United States of America.
Residency and training for US Based Odissi dancer, Parul Bhatia, with senior dancer Kavita Dwibedi.
Showcased “An Evening of Bharatanatyam: Dance of the Birds”- a thematic Bharatanatyam presentation, bringing together art and activism around environmental issues, while using the bird as metaphor. Dancer: SNA awardee Rama Vaidyanathan; expert commentary and interlocution: Dr Arshiya Sethi. Part of the Rangayan Festival of Art and Literature (RALF), Guwahati.
Illustrated talk at India Habitat Centre, Delhi, on " Curatorial Mistakes and Mediated Corrections: The 'Scaffold’ Controversy of the Walker Arts Centre, Minneapolis".
A talk for the Study group Disha, based on my Post-Doctoral work on the theme of Governance and the Making of the Cultural meme of food, titled “Eat Pray but no Love: Alimentary Politics in India Today”.
Presenting the inaugural showcase of Art for social justice- ‘Aavejak Avaaz’ 2018, across two cities- New Delhi and Guwahati, featuring international artistes- Ananya Dance Theatre from Minneapolis, USA, and Alma Salem Curator from Syria, presently located in Montreal, Canada.
An illustrated talk by Syrian Curator, now relocated in Canada, Alma Salem on “Aesthetic is an Essential Human Right”.
After the personal trauma of war and relocation, she has once again revived her artistic connections in the region and over-imaginative platforms, including “Syria Sixth Space”. Her efforts have brought together the community of artists to tell of the tribulations that they encounter and the resistance that they offer. She has just set up the Freedom Museum as well. In her presentation, she uses dance films and visual artworks to stir the conscience of the world to the tragedy of her land.
Preview of Film “In Our Bodies Live Our Stories” The preview of this ‘documentary film in the making’ captured excerpts from Ananya Dance Theatre’s visually striking performances over many years, against candid conversations that illuminate their journey and philosophy. It embodies the joy, struggle and resilience of women from global communities of color, articulating social justice through a distinctive language of Contemporary Indian Dance. Present for the Q & A will be Darren Johnson, Director and Filmmaker and the dancers of the Ananya Dance Theatre.
Presentation of Ananya Dance Theatre’s 'Shaataranga: Women Weaving Worlds’ (70 mins with no intermission).
This is the capstone choreography of the quintet that explores the Work Women Do. Choreographed by Ananya Chatterjea, Shaatranga (seven colours in Bangla) is specifically inspired by ancient Indian Ocean Trade outs that connected Asia, Africa and parts of South America. It is also connected with shared practices and different methodologies of indigo dying. Central to this choreography is the question ‘How do we show up for each other?’.
Ananya Chatterjea is an internationally known feminist, a social justice warrior with a sharp mind and eloquent voice. Her work is both reflected as academic research and dance practice.
Talk by Alma Salem at Royal Global University Followed by the Ananya Dance Theatre’s performance at the Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
Facilitated and moderated a three-hour panel on “Dance for the Camera” for the Natya Ballet Centre event, featuring film maker Saba Dewan, Shardha Ramanathan, Justin McCarthy and Vikram Iyengar.