Diverse dance groups converged on Bradford Arts Centre on World Dance Day to mark the celebrations with their unique contributions. Produced by Shivani Jatar of Menaka Dance, it was an ambitious event with fifteen participating groups.
Text: Akshay Sharma Image: Anurag Sharma
One of the participants walks by Shivani Jatar, the creative producer of the event, with a huge smile, thanking her with an enthusiasm I remember from my childhood when someone first gave me a space to dance. The opportunity to perform under lights in front of a live audience is a heady experience, and it was savoured by all the participating dancers.
The afternoon featured fifteen performances by a wideranging groups from Bradford and across the region. These included: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kalbeliya folk dance, hoop dance, belly dance, Bulgarian traditional dance, and Bollywood presented by Rasa Anthara, Dance School, Svikruti Khutal, Mudra Bharade, Jashkriti Singh, Tanvi Shirke, Kriti Telang, Rhythmosaic Youth, Korvai Dance Community, Souradip and Oliver, Vene Hoop Dance, Yalla Beena, Bulgarian Dance Rhythms, Menaka Dance, and Naach Leeds. Most of the performances were rooted in Indian classical, contemporary and folk dances with additional contributions from European folk and social traditions. The sense of joy and the connections made between dancers of diverse backgrounds and schools of movement were the most standout elements of the event.
Shivani Jatar spoke of how important it is to make lateral connections with fellow dancers. She says, ‘As a producer, I am learning that ‘dance’ and ‘community’ have many different meanings. And this experience is teaching me to hold space for diverse expressions of dance and community.”
Originally from Mumbai, India and now based in Leeds, UK, Shivani completed her MA in Dance and Creative Enterprise at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds. The event is a first step for the dancer-producer in undertaking the organisational side of the art form. Her efforts were appreciated by the Artist Development Manager of Bradford Arts Centre, Alex Corwin, who remarked, ‘…supporting community dance groups and providing opportunities to perform is vital—not only for sharing passion, but for helping people take their first steps into a career in dance’. She concluded, ‘A programme like this has the potential to become an annual event’.
If you are a group or an organisation with diverse practice at its heart, please get in touch with Shivani at dancemenaka@gmail.com
