Commissions

Curated by Tanushree Shankar, Dancers Alesandra Seutin, Billy Chang, Subhash Viman, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Musicians Praveen Rao, Pramath Kiran, Eugene Skeef, Scale Medium, Year of Commission 2016

Alesandra Seutin is a London-based choreographer, teacher and performer with African and European roots. She is also the artistic director of the Vocab Dance Company. Her movement – language is a hybrid of contemporary, African and urban dance styles; her choreography combines physical theatre, dance, innovative scenography, live music and text. Her work is political and speaks of social issues such as race, social inclusion and gender from a feminine perspective.

Billy Chang graduated from the prestigious Taipei National University of the Arts and has since been teaching, choreographing and performing. His contemporary choreography is rich both in traditional and modern styles.

Eugene Skeef is a South African percussionist, composer, poet and educationalist who has lived in London since 1980. He works in conflict resolution, acts as a consultant on cultural development and is a broadcaster. He has also been instrumental in developing the education programmes of some of the major classical orchestras in the UK, and has served on the board of directors of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

UK-born Subhash Viman is influenced by hiphop, urban and contemporary dance styles. He has trained in Bharatanatyam and Kathak under acclaimed teachers in the UK and India. Currently, Subhash is developing his new show with a range of artists exploring the effect bullying has on the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of the victim, using movement vocabulary from martial arts.

Rukmini Vijayakumar has trained in Bharatanatyam, as well as in classical ballet, jazz and modern dance in the US. Her performances at many venues in India and abroad include Bharatanatyam at Khajuraho and other festivals. She founded the Raadha Kalpa Dance Company in 2009, and has conducted workshops, choreographed productions, and organized dance arts festivals. She is the director of her Art Space LshVa, in Bangalore.

Bangalore-based Praveen Rao is a versatile multi-instrumentalist with an international reputation. He has composed over 200 scores for leading theatre productions, Indian ballet, films and television across the globe. As a music arranger, he is known for his creativity in fusing Hindustani music, Carnatic music with western techniques and has arranged background scores for various films under acclaimed veteran music directors.