Sudhaaya And Children
Transmitting Legacies
The legacy of traditions is always carried forward through continuing generations. It is for this reason that Sudhaaya Dance Foundation has since its inception cultivated a vibrant connect with children. Dance classes, workshops and performances have been regularly organized.
The foundation also conducts activities like museum tours and heritage walks that aim to introduce children to India’s rich cultural legacy. Young students of dance also get an opportunity to volunteer. This gives them an enriching experience of working behind the scenes, interacting with artistes, and to do community service through programmes initiated by the foundation.
Classes
Workshops
Performances
Museum visits
Volunteering
CLASSES
Over the last two decades hundreds of students have studied Odissi at Sudhaaya Dance Foundation under the expert guidance of Shagun Butani who has a rich and varied experience of working with children.
At Sudhaaya the journey commences by learning from the very basics and a thorough knowledge of the fundamental technique is emphasised upon. They are then taught compositions that define the basic repertoire
of the style. Class sessions are designed with live music accompaniment that adds a wonderful dimension to the rigours of a difficult practice.
The students are also encouraged to study the theoretical aspects of the form and are also trained to do examinations through credible platforms if they opt for it.
PERFORMANCES
The stage can be a daunting space for many. It is here you learn to deal with the unexpected. For a dancer, the days of practice, the happy camaraderie of rehearsals, the working towards a goal , the act of donning the costume, the back-stage rituals and finally facing an audience makes for an overwhelming experience.
The annual performances at Sudhaaya are aimed to teach this aspect of learning dance. It also gives them the opportunity to work with musicians and often connects them to senior artistes and gurus who are specially invited to be a part of these milestones in the dance journeys of our little students.
The first of Many…
LITTLE RIVERS
An Odissi based production that was danced by forty little dancers aged between 5 and 14 years, students learning from Shagun Butani. The narrative, handled by the children themselves, described the journey of a little river to the Ocean, a metaphor for their own journeys in the vastness of a dance tradition such as this.
Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Guru Shashadhar Acharya graced this momentous occasion.This memorable performance marked the first of many children centric performances that would be done in the years to come, and would echo a vibrant connection that Sudhaaya has with children.
Venue
- Delhi Public School Gurgaon, May 2008.
2009-Pushpita
2010- Ektali- Odissi to the Beat of Four
2011- Odissi Ek Aur Do
2019- Metamorphosis
2016 -The Odissi Odyssey
2018- Little Rivers 2
2013-Odissi Ke Rang Bachpan Ke Sang
SUDHAAYA AND THE WORLD OF UNDERPRIVILIGED CHILDREN
We at Sudhaaya through our many initiatives, have constantly endeavoured to bring the magic of traditional arts into the world of underprivileged children. Dance workshops and classes have been regularly organized for children at schools run by NGOs and by the government.
We have been associated with institutions like Akshay Pratishthan, Delhi and Saksham Bal Sansthan, Gurgaon. Additional activities such as Museum visits and heritage walks to introduce them to the rich cultural heritage of India are also organized. Classes and performances at Sudhaaya nurture an inclusive environment where children from varied backgrounds are encouraged to work together.
THE SAKSHAM PROJECT
Project Taal Mein Saksham started in September 2017 by Odissi/ Chhau dancer Shagun Butani, and young volunteers of Sudhaaya Dance Foundation at Saksham School located in C Block, Sushant Lok - I, Sector 43, - Gurgaon, Haryana.
Over the years these classes have been sustained through the active participation of students and young artistes at Sudhaaya Dance Foundation who teach as a part of their own training in Odissi. The training itself for the girls at Saksham is done in a detailed way whereby they are educated in both the practical and theoretical aspects of the art form. Activities like museum visits are organized as a part of the course, enabling children to recognize art from a historical perspective.
The Beginning…
Manu, Neha, Vanshikha, Priyanka, Pinky, Jyoti, Madhu and Nisha were the girls who stood out in the first batch of Saksham students in 2017. Their dedication to learn, an unwavering enthusiasm despite hardships in their personal lives was an inspiration to us all.
Along with their young teachers, who too taught with a steady dedication, these girls had laboured to learn Odissi. In exchange, they taught us that happiness comes of simple things. It was their enthusiasm that classes were conducted online during the pandemic and their inspiration that we continue on in the Saksham journey with new teachers and new students…
“Working with children demands a kind of a pounding discipline, repetitions of the fundamental technique being hammered into your own self while you teach. The “Give and Take” that emerges out of this very demanding routine results in a blossoming for both the teacher and the taught”
Shagun Butani
Learn More About Our Program
Sudhaaya And Community
Support our dance workshops and change a child's future
The work of Sudhaaya, illuminates contexts and connections, takes us back to the sourceand makes us alive in the present. Through its work the foundation invites the spectator to go beyond the surface, to delve deep into a language of universal symbols and to truly participate in the rituals of art that India so generously offers.
Contact :
- Write Us
- Contactus@sudhaaya.com
