In our post-blacklivesmatter 2021 arts landscape in the UK, you could be forgiven for thinking that many institutions have changed, that marginalised identities are being given more space, that anti-racism is becoming centre-stage. And yet, when I try to voice a whiteness-related concern with an institution, most often they reply with a link to their webpage on anti-racism and diversity. Whose job has actually got easier?
Read MoreI am a practitioner of a dance form that not many white people have heard of, let alone are able to pronounce, so half the conversations I have are reduced to me trying to explain what I do. These conversations inaccurately render Bharatanatyam a minority practice, and I a minority artist, trying endlessly to relate what I do to an elusive notion of ‘mainstream dance’.
Read MoreChennai is undoubtedly the motherland of bharatanatyam, a rich source of tradition, knowledge and technical expertise. Hosts to the most tightly curated bharatanatyam festivals in the world, Chennai is also a gatekeeper of tradition and thus becomes a benchmark for quality bharatanatyam. The UK in comparison has but a fledgling bharatanatyam industry, where practitioners focus on making work that can sit alongside that of mainstream dance choreographers and win over audiences that know nothing of their form.
Read MoreWhat stops me from perceiving my practice and my form in a radically different way, from trying things that may raise eyebrows? Is it even possible to be both a classical dancer and a radical one?
Read MoreIn an age where body positivity is flourishing and the societal pressures (for women, especially) to look a certain way are increasingly acknowledged and refuted, dance still seems to be one arena where perfect beauty continues to be idolised.
Read MoreMy ballet teacher refused to show any sequence more than once, demanding that we try and rebuild the movement purely from what the body might have subconsciously picked up from observation. This seemed ludicrous to me.
Read MoreEncountering reality in all its ungratifying glory is the cornerstone to staying sane; for being able to process ‘negative’ emotions and attend to trails of thought long enough to untangle complexity.
Read MoreThere are so many layers of irony at play here, no doubt referential to the depth of my regret.
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