South Asian Dance Equity: Mixed Bill

Join us for an exciting evening of new works by British South Asian artists Kandyan Dancers Company, Godhadi (Abhaya Rajani), Sanchita Mazumdar and Sandhaya Gurung along with a specially commissioned UK/India collaboration featuring Komal Gandhar (India) and Jaivant Patel Company (UK). The evening will be hosted by award-winning writer Sabah Choudrey followed by a post-show discussion with the artists.

SABAH CHOUDREY (HOST)

Our host Sabah Choudrey is an award-winning, reluctant activist and writer on all things trans, brown and hairy. Sabah co- founded Trans Pride Brighton in 2013, the UK’s first trans pride event. They’ve worked with trans youth for over a decade and now, Director of Middlesex Pride, Vice Chair of Inclusive Mosque Initiative and member of the trans-masc go-go dancing group Spice Boys.

KANDYAN DANCERS COMPANY

Choreographed by Dilini Seneviratne, Kandyan Dancers Company UK will present ‘Udarata Natum’, which showcases the pulsating rhythms of Sri Lankan performance, celebrating the vitality of Kandyan dance.

GODHADI (ABHAYA RAJANI)

Godhadi, a dalit transgenerational collective, present ‘sprouting dalit spores’, a beyond-human cosmological dalit dreaming through performance.

SANCHITA MAZUMDAR

In association with Balbir Singh Dance Company (Leeds), Kathak dancer Sanchita Mazumdar presents a new choreographic work on pain, disability and mental health. This work draws upon Sanchita's lived experience, finding expression and a new relationship with her art form.

SANDHAYA GURUNG

Sandhaya Gurung, a Nepali-British artist from Tamuwan state, revives Himalayan indigenous knowledges through somatic exploration and will present her own rendition of Tamu Ghatu nach, a ritual trance dance.

JAIVANT PATEL

Jaivant Patel is an unapologetic Gujarati queer dancemaker. He is the Artistic Director of the multi award-winning Jaivant Patel Company based in Wolverhampton. The company creates contemporary productions influenced by the myriad of South Asian Dance forms. A trailblazer in both the UK and international dance scene, Jaivant is one of the leading figures amplifying LGBTQ+ South Asian voices and exploring the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, faith, and spirituality.

LOKENATH BHATTACHARJEE

Lokenath Bhattacharjee, known as Lona, is a trans woman and dedicated dance artist who found refuge and empowerment in Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee’s Komal Gandhar. Raised by a sex worker mother, Lona overcame discrimination to become Komal Gandhar’s dance director, using her talent and resilience to inspire and uplift through the transformative power of dance.

RAJKUMAR DAS

Rajkumar Das, a trans woman and dedicated activist, has spent 14 years uplifting marginalized communities through NGO work. Joining Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee’s cultural wing Komal Gandhar in 2014, she found empowerment through dance, using her artistry to challenge stereotypes, advocate for equality, and inspire change, despite facing societal discrimination and violence.

AVIJIT GHOSH

Avijit Ghosh, shaped by resilience and cultural heritage, found purpose through dance with Komal Gandhar, Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee’s cultural wing. Inspired by his grandmother’s strength as a former sex worker and his mother’s empowerment journey, Avijit transcends societal stigma, using art as a tool for unity, expression, and social change.