South Asian Dance Project

In summer 2010 Tobacco Factory Theatre and the Asian Arts Agency worked together to produce an exciting new South Asian dance project for local school children. Internationally-renowned bharatanatyam dancer Seeta Patel worked with Year 3 pupils from two Bristol primary schools, Ashton Gate and Easton, over a four-week period. Seeta taught the pupils moves and sequences from this exhilarating art form and the youngsters created a showcase that was performed for an invited audience of family and friends on the Tobacco Factory Theatre’s main stage.

The aim of the project was to introduce South Asian dance to a new audience, as well as bringing together pupils from two schools at opposite ends of the city. They also get the rare chance to experience performing at one of the city’s leading venues. Ashton Gate and Easton Primary Schools met for joint rehearsals and performed together in the final showcase, giving an opportunity for the pupils to mix and make new friends and for the schools to build links with each other. Learning about an art form by trying it for themselves allows pupils to actively engage with it, providing a much more impactful way of learning about a different culture.

Dancer and choreographer Seeta Patel began training in 1990 and has since worked with a range of Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance professionals.  She has toured with Kiran Ratna’s company (UK) and Menaka Thakkar Dance Company (Canada and America) among many others. She is a core dancer for Akademi’s site-specific works Sapnay (2005), Dreaming Now (2007) and Initium (2008) and is Associate Artist with Akademi South Asian Dance and Arnolfini (Bristol). Seeta has extensive experience teaching Bharatanatyam and creative dance at all levels and a range of age groups and has also taught hearing impaired students and groups with physical and mental disabilities.

Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest of the classical dance forms in India, usually accompanied by the classical music. Inspired by the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram, Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculptural poses. Today, it is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by many dancers all over the world.

This project was supported by funding from the Ernest Cook Trust.

“We are delighted to be working with the Tobacco Factory Theatre and eminent bharatanatyam performer Seeta Patel on this fantastic project for local school children. We are committed to providing education in South Asian arts and I am sure the final performance on the Tobacco Factory’s main stage will show how much they have enjoyed learning about a different culture and having the chance to try this stunning art form for themselves.” Jaswinder Singh, director of Asian Arts Agency