National Symposium for South Asian dance in Leicester

Monday 19th September 2011

An event to promote and celebrate South Asian dance forms is taking place in Leicester next month (October). The National Symposium for South Asian Dance will be held at the Curve Theatre in Leicester City Centre on Friday 28th October. Organisers at the Centre for Indian Classical Dance along with their associate partners and supporters hope that the symposium will enable South Asian dance to reach a wider national audience, as well as attracting potential dance artists, agencies, promoters, educationalists, organisations, arts officers as well as dance academics from across the UK.

The symposium will include presentations and demonstrations on a variety of issues relevant to South Asian Dance and its place in 21st century Britain, including the role of national and regional dance agencies, training pathways, sharing of new work, marketing, media and audience development.

“We hope to open up the debate on the arts from a regional perspective, with an emphasis on South Asian arts and how they are represented and reinterpreted,” comments one of the organisers Nilima Devi, Artistic Director for the Centre for Indian Classical Dance. “The aim is to take a constructive approach to future developments, with special focus on improving the opportunities for young artists.”

Some of the speakers and experts in attendance include Farooq Chaudhry, Producer of Akram Khan Dance Company, Sri Sarker and Hassan Mahamdallie from the Arts Council England and celebrated dance artists Anusha Subramanyam, Mayuri Boonham, Sonia Sabri and Aakash Odedra.

“This national symposium aims to be an inclusive event for anyone interested in South Asian dance offering an opportunity to celebrate, share, debate, network and discuss the practices and challenges that the dance sector faces today,” adds Nilima. “The event comprises a range of topics for everybody to participate in, raise their voices and work together towards bringing South Asian dance into the 21st century.”

There will also be an evening performance by four male dancers showcasing Indian classical dance forms in a contemporary context.

A three tier pricing structure will be in place: tickets are £50 (for 1) and £90 (for 2) organisations, dance companies, dance agencies and local authorities, £25 for professional dancers and £15 for full time students. There will be a special discount of £2 on tickets for symposium delegates for the evening performance. Please contact Curve’s Box Office by using the code: SYMPOSIUM.

The Centre for Indian Classical dance is based in the East Midlands and works with students, dancers and arts organisations across the UK. Set up in 1981, the centre has charitable status and aims to promote knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Indian dance and culture within the diverse culture of Britain.

For further information on the day and registration, please visit The Centre for Indian Classical Dance’s website at www.cicd.org.uk.

The event is sponsored by sampad.