On Friday 6th June, the early morning in Singapore brought the arrivals of our DIAP tutors’ faculty. Long-term Milapfest collaborators Madhavi Mudgal and Mythili Prakash returned this year to Singapore; Shanta Dhananjayan was last a tutor at Dance India UK a few years ago, and we welcomed her back along with first time tutors at the school, Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Sheejith Krishna and Gauri Diwakar. Together, this faculty brings together years of experience as gurus, performers and choreographers. Even in the first faculty meeting, we saw the enthusiasm, energy and knowledge of the tutors, and eagerly waited the moment we could introduce them to the students.
As Dance India participants arrived for registration from in and around Singapore, as well as from places like Hong Kong, Australia and India, we began the process of bringing the school together; as in any Dance India programme, our participants arrivedwith an equal measure of excitement, hesitation, anticipation and nervousness at what lay ahead.
A tour of our venue Goodman Arts Centre followed an inauguration meeting, in which participants were introduced to tutors. The gathering heard a welcome from Apsaras Arts and Milapfest, with an overview of the global strategy of Dance India international, the vision and content of DIAP. The school would begin in earnest with a warm up session for everyone, led by Mythili Prakash on Saturday morning.
Dance India Asia Pacific includes a core programme in Bharatnatyam, Odissi and Kathak, as well as a Teacher Training course, workshops on various aspects of Indian dance, and two evening showcase performances at The Esplanade Theatre, on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th June.