| Education |
| 1969 |
Diploma in Kathak Dance (1st class) Music College, M.S. University, Baroda. |
| 1971 |
B.Com. (Honours) M.S. University, Baroda |
| 1973 |
B.Mus. (1st class) Music College, M.S. University, Baroda |
| 1975 |
M.Mus. (Distinction) Music College, M.S. University, Baroda |
| Professional experience |
| 1977-79 |
Conducted Kathak classes in Baroda and gave many performances in Gujarat and in Bombay.
|
| 1979-80 |
Taught Kathak at the Tagore Institute, Bonn and in Dortmund, and gave a series of sixteen
Kathak performances all over Germany.
|
| 1981 |
Founder and Artistic Director of the Centre for Indian Classical Dance (CICD) in Leicester, UK.
Gave Kathak performances and conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations all over the UK.
|
| 1982-85 |
Member of the Dance and Mime Panel of East Midlands Arts, Loughborough.
|
| 1983-85 |
Conducted various Kathak performances throughout India.
|
| 1985-90 |
Asian Dance Animateur for Leicester and Leicestershire. Involved, among others, in:
Preparation of a series of showcase performances with choreography in Kathak, folk dances
and contemporary dance styles.
Dance work in over 50 schools and colleges in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Dance development work in the community, involving holding and supervising a wide range
of South Asian dance classes in Leicester.
Development and training of a pool of trainee animateurs in the East Midlands, who are now
themselves teaching various dance forms in Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham and London.
|
| 1991 |
Advisory teacher of South Asian dance for Leicestershire schools (p/t).
|
| 1991 |
Asian Dance Development Officer for Leicester City Council (p/t).
|
| Artistic work |
| [a] As choreographer |
| 1981-84 |
Many solo Kathak pieces for my own performances and group pieces of Kathak dance for students of CICD.
|
| 1985 |
Numerous folk and creative dance items for Leicestershire schools and community.
|
| 1987 |
Kathak, folk and creative dance pieces for the Youth Dance Group as part of the Leicestershire
Schools Festival presented at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester.
|
| 1988 |
Solo Kathak dance pieces based on the work of the well-known poet, Pandit S. Gangani.
|
| 1989 |
Created and choreographed the Ugly Duckling, the popular children's fairytale, as a Kathak
ballet in a creative style. The production involved 50 young people from various schools and
the community.
|
| 1990 |
Kathak Katha.
|
| 1991 |
Devised and choreographed Triangle, a project based on Eastern and Western rhythms, and
performed by a trio of Kathak dancers.
|
| 1991-92 |
Reimagined the Ugly Duckling with a smaller cast for a national tour.
|
| 1992-96 |
Various Kathak dance pieces and stage productions such as Aladdin, Stars and Stripes,
Dance Spectacular and The Jungle Book for the annual Leicestershire Schools Festival.
|
| 1997-2001 |
Melory, using North Indian classical khayal singing and tabla; Milap, combining the Kathak and
Odissi dance forms; Artistic Director for Vyom; devised and co-choregraphed Flaming Feet, a
Kathak-Irish dance and music collaboration.
|
| [b] As performer |
| 1975 |
Numerous performances as a solo Kathak artist in India, Germany and the UK.
|
| 1984 |
Various performances with senior students of the Centre, and other professional
dancers in innovative dance productions, including:
A Fiercer Kind of Being
Kathak Katha
Triangle
Kathak Double Bill
Rainbow - Indra Dhanush
|
| 1996 |
Schools of Kathak (Kathak gharanas), with two professional Kathak dancers.
|
| 1997 |
Kathak-Odissi duet called Milap performed throughout London and the East Midlands.
|
| 1998 |
Melory, a solo Kathak performance with musicians commissioned by Chisenhale Dance Space of London.
|
| 1998- 2000 |
Kathak performances throughout India
|
| 2001 |
Flaming Feet, a ground-breaking Kathak-Irish dance and music collaboration.
|
| [c] As dance teacher |
| 1978-79 |
Private Kathak tuition in Baroda, India.
|
| 1979-80 |
Kathak tutorials at the Tagore Institute, Bonn and the Gesellschaft Institute, Düsseldorf in Germany.
|
| 1981 |
A six-year Diploma Course in Kathak Dance, so far completed by eight students, two of whom
later won the ADiTi National Bursary for one-year full-time training in India.
|
| 1991 |
South Asian Dance Advisory Teacher for Leicestershire Arts Education Service, based at Knighton
Fields Centre, Leicester. Conductor of the Kathak Youth Dance Group.
|
| 1999 |
Advisory Member of the South Asian Dance Faculty of the ISTD in London.
|
| Publications |
| 1983 |
Various articles and papers on the development of South Asian dance in Britain, the experience of
teaching in Britain and the future of South Asian dance and culture in the East Midlands, published
in Arts Newsletter, ADiTi News, and a variety of other publications.
|
| 1987 |
'South Asian dance in the East Midlands'. In: Laban Centre Dance Journal.
|
| 1990 |
'Indian dance and music'. In: World Dance and Music Encyclopedia.
|
| 1995 |
'Teaching and choreographing Kathak dance in Britain'. In: Choreography and Dance.
|
| 1996 |
Produced the July ADiTi issue focusing on Kathak dance, contributing an article on the
development of Indian dance in Leicester and the East Midlands.
|
| 1998 |
'Classical Indian dance by the Asian Theatre Initiative'. Review in: ADiTi News.
|
