Inside The Institution: Kala Sangam
Kala Sangam is a vibrant arts centre in Bradford, Yorkshire and is known for its support of South Asian arts. It was founded in 1993 by the Upadhayas, a medical…
Dance and Society: Who is a Hereditary Dancer? – and why I can never answer this question.
Dance and Society We continue our series specially commissioned with the dance student in mind. I MUST HAVE BEEN around ten years old when I wrote the following words…
Guria: Supporting traditional artists in North India
“In spite of being a mother, sister, daughter, My caste is still ‘Woman’” [1] Varanasi was once a centre of tawaif (traditional courtesan) culture, where hereditary professional artists were respected for their…
The Dynamics of Displacement: Who were the bar girls?
Sanjoy Roy interviewed Anna Morcom about her book Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance, on courtesans, bar girls and transgender performers. UNIVERSITY LECTURER ANNA MORCOM hadn’t planned to look at the…
Manch UK Platform – Impressions that linger
During the COVID-19 lock-down days, spirits were lifted as the South Asian dance sector connected virtually on the Manch UK Facebook platform. Sanjeevini Dutta recalls some of the revelations that…
From Below the Ivory Tower
Dance and Society Pulse has commissioned this new series with the dance student in mind. ‘…truly critical deliberations on culture in India… are virtually non-existent.’ (Davesh Soneji, interviewed by Sammita…
Inside The Institution: The Place
The Place, located centrally in geographic terms, and centrally in historic terms, has always had a significant part to play in supporting and showcasing contemporary choreographers. In this interview…
Pakistan’s Music Industry – A Historical Perspective
This article by Arieb Azhar was first published in Pulse #137, Summer 2017. We re-publish it here on the anniversary of Pakistan's independence, 14th August 1947. Repression, resistance, Coke Studios…
The Ghazal – A Marriage of Poetry and Music
Waqt ki qaid mein zindagi hai magar Chand ghadiyan yehi hain jo aazad hain Life is trapped in time’s prison but These are the few moments that are free (from…
Shree Savani at Sadler’s Wells ‘Sampled’
BBC Young Dancer finalist Shree Savani talked to Pulse ahead of Sampled, the annual celebration of diverse dance at Sadler's Wells When you went into BBCYD did you think you had…