News

The Tobacco Factory Theatre and Asian Arts Agency are delighted to be working together to produce an exciting new South Asian dance project for local school children. Internationally-renowned bharatanatyam dancer Seeta Patel (pictured) is working with with Year 3 pupils from two Bristol primary schools, Ashton Gate and Easton, over a four-week period. Seeta will teach the pupils moves and sequences from this exhilarating art form and they will work towards creating a showcase that will be performed for an invited audience of family and friends on the Tobacco Factory Theatre’s main stage in July.

The aim of the project is 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 will also get the rare chance to experience performing at one of the city’s leading venues. Ashton Gate and Easton Primary Schools will meet for joint rehearsals and perform 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.

The South Asian Dance Project is 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.” says Jaswinder Singh, director of Asian Arts Agency.

Ali Robertson, Director of Tobacco Factory Theatre adds “We’re delighted to be working once again with our close friends at the Asian Arts Agency and extending the wonderful work we do with young people across the city.”