No Images? Click here Newsletter | October 2019From the Director's deskI am delighted to announce the appointments of Subathra Subramaniam and Kirsten Burrows as the Joint-CEOs of Akademi. My heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to them. I am certain that, together, they will lead Akademi to a bright future. With the opening of the autumn season, Akademi hosted DESCENDANTS, an evening of three female choreographers – Mayuri Boonham, Sonia Sabri and Gauri Sharma Tripathi – whose work was warmly received at Southbank Centre. Now, we are in the final phase of the many events that make up our 40th programme. This month we also said goodbye to Claire Farmer, who has moved onto a position at Middlesex University. Her tremendous work with Akademi’s Dance Well project, as a project manager and partnership builder, has touched many lives and taken Akademi’s work to over eleven hospitals. This is my last season at Akademi before I step down on 30th November. I would like to see as many friends as I can at events taking place across London in the next month and a half, so I can say personal goodbyes and thank you to everyone attending. Mira Kaushik OBE NewsA new leadership teamIn September, Akademi announced its new leadership team of joint Chief Executive Officers. Choreographer, dancer and educator Subathra Subramaniam will take over as Artistic Director of Akademi whilst Kirsten Burrows, currently the organisation’s interim Administrative Director, takes up the role of Executive Director. They will be starting their tenure from November 2019. Goodbye to Claire Farmer, Learning and Participation ManagerThis week Akademi said a warm goodbye and good luck to Claire Farmer. Claire begun at Akademi as Dance Well Project Manager and later took on the role of Learning and Participation Manager. Over almost 4 years she became a vital and much-loved member of the team. Claire will be taking up a position at Middlesex University, where she will no doubt go on to do great things in the world of dance and health. Opportunities at AkademiAkademi seeks dancers to participate in a Stage 1 R&D project for Special Educational Needs productionAkademi are seeking 2 dancers to participate in the research and develop of a new live, interactive performance for children and young people (aged 5 – 18 years) with profound autistic spectrum disorders and complex
needs, including social, emotional and mental health issues. This new project is sponsored by The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust. Akademi at 40Find out the latest in our 40th anniversary programme by following #akademiat40 on social media or visit our website. DESCENDANTSOn 29 September, Akademi presented a triple-bill of British South Asian female choreographers at Southbank Centre. This bustling event in the Purcell Room featured performance from Sonia Sabri, Mayuri Boonham (featuring Archana Ballal), and Gauri Sharma Tripathi (featuring dancers from ANKH Dance). The show received a 4-star review by Jann Parry of DanceTabs. See more: Images from DESCENDANTS Hampstead Heath PhotoshootIn September, Akademi and a crew of dancers explored Hampstead Heath for a photoshoot with photographer Souvid Datta. Thank you to our dancers - Aabha Sharma, Elena Catalano, Meera Patel, Pallavi Vijay, Parbati Chaudhury, Saloni Saraf, Shyam Dattani and Suhani Dhanki - who you can catch at our upcoming Akademi at 40 events. Photos coming soon, but we shared a look behind the scenes on social media. See more: Photoshoot behind the scenes on Facebook and Instagram What's on at AkademiOCTOBERIn conversation with Tara Rajkumar OAM - A joint presentation with The Bhavan17 Oct | 7 pm An intimate evening with Akademi’s founder and celebrated Mohiniattam artist, Tara Rajkumar OAM in conversation with Professor Ann David of Roehampton University followed by performances from Tara’s disciple, Bindu Rajendren. RUMINATION | Akademi at 4018 Oct | 7 pm Akademi’s founder Tara Rajkumar OAM and former director Pushkala Gopal reflect on British Indian dance since 1979 through performance, film and dialogue, highlighting the archives held at the V&A. BROWN TANGLE | A two-day British Asian cross-arts festival25 & 26 Oct | Workshops, 10 am to 6pm and performances, 6 pm to midnight Co-artistic directors Shane Shambhu and Nina Head, with guest curator Parbati Chaudhury, arrange this firstof-a-kind festival which sees young British Asian artists take over Rich Mix with a fresh perspective on South Asia’s artistic legacy. Discover and rediscover in artist workshops and through a retrospective programme featuring screendance by Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, re-stagings from Nina Rajarani MBE and Pushkala Gopal. Evening events include an eclectic cabaret (curated by Raheem Mir) and an open stage night (presented with Apples & Snakes). NOVEMBERSPARKPLUGS1 Nov | 8:30pm An evening of powerful, ambitious and original work of early career South Asian choreographers; featuring artists from Re-rooted Collective and Subhash Viman Gorania of Morph Dance Company. APOTHEOSIS15 Nov | 4pm to 9pm Experience the artistry, fluidity and variance of Indian Classical dance styles performed against the backdrop of the exquisite sculptures in the Hotung Gallery. Free performances featuring Archita Kumar, Payal Ramchandani, Suhani Dhanki and artists from Odissi Collective and Upahaar Dance. Consultant Director - Divya Kasturi What's on in our world of danceAkademi AssociatedTo celebrate the breadth and richness of South Asian dance in the UK, we’ve invited artists to submit information on London-based events between April 2019 and April 2020 to form the Akademi Associated programme. OctoberNrityadhee School of Odissi | Maarga – Paving a path with Odissi Jane Chan | Live Drafts Jaivant Patel Dance | YAATRA Upahaar School of Dance | Nrithya-Upahaar 2019 NovemberSujata Banerjee Dance Company | Hemantika Festival PerformanceOctoberThe Bhavan | Dr. Shatavadhani R Ganesh – Lecture Series ISTD | Misrana Manasamitra | Lullaby - Sonic Cradle Baahubali - The Beginning Live Divya Kasturi Company | To Varnam with Love Sonia Sabri Company | Same Same … But Different The Bhavan | Hindustani Violin concert – Pallab Bandyopadhyay GemArts | Aladdin, Shadow Theatre The Bhavan | Sham – E – Ghazal with Uttara S. Joshi GemArts | An Evening of Ghazals with Sudeep Banerjee SAA-uk | No Borders NovemberThe Bhavan | Rasanubhavam The Bhavan | Abhimata - Solo Bharatanatyam by Rukmini Vijaykumar Classes and CoursesLooking for South Asian dance training and institutions in the UK?Our new South Asian Dance section of the website is the place to start. If you’re a student looking to start a journey in South Asian dance, we can start you off on the road to excellence. If you deliver South Asian dance classes in the UK and want to make an amendment to your listing or have your business included please email info@akademi.co.uk. Kala Sangam | Bhangra Dance Classes in partnership with Punjabi Roots Academy Sonia Sabri Company | Tabla Classes with Sarvar Sabri (Level 1-3) Kala Sangam | Bollywood Dance Classes with Zoobin Surty Karma Dance Company Natyanjali Dance School | Bharatanatyam JobsPavilion Dance South West | Participation Producer – Community & Wellbeing Pavilion Dance South West | Front of House Assistant Images (from top): |