Dance India is a movement to inspire high standards in education, performance and the sharing of Indian Dance around the world. We want to unite performers, teachers and students and give them an exciting and enjoyable experience they can take away. Much as we try to change the lives of our participants, it is not only a one-way process. As producers of Dance India, we feel the positive energy, enthusiasm, spirit and determination of our participants too, and enjoy every experience of sharing Dance India with them.

More than what they say in their feedback or registration forms, we are inspired by the enthusiasm and commitment of people who give their time and energy to spend several days at a time in an intensive, challenging learning environment.

This spirit was apparent in the orientation and registration of participants on Day 1 of DIAP this year. Arrivals from 7.30am onwards began to reunite with old friends, meet new colleagues and to get to know the information about the days ahead. The session opened with an excellent and nostalgic highlights video of DIAP2014, in which we  saw last year’s tutors and participants talk of the experience. I welcomed participants with talk of the vision , concept and aims of Dance India. My colleagues Aravinth Kumarasamy (Apsaras Arts Creative Director) and Archana Shastri (Milapfest’s Head of Dance Development) explained the programme and introduced the faculty to the team. Archana talked of the structured approach and what participants might expect.

It’s lovely to see smiling faces, enthusiasm and dedication from DIAP participants here, many of whom juggle pressures of work and family commitments to spend 5 full days with us. Water and snacks are on hand; it is sultry, sunny and already a heat-sapping 32 degrees centigrade in the morning, at Singapore’s Goodman Arts Centre and our Bharatnatyam students go off into their groups and start with a warm up, introduction and straight into the programme of learning. It is already apparent, sitting in Sheejith Krishna’s classroom, that there is so much to learn than just dance technique. Already in a few minutes, we hear of the importance of style, confidence, mood and emotion, all through a beautiful mythological episode.