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Dances of India's 31st Annual Performance--
Akbar's Magic Trunk--featuring magician Keith Jozsef--on September 19th-21st, 2008, at Edison Theatre. (See Events).
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Dances of India was founded in St. Louis by Asha Prem (right) in 1976. It was the first classical Indian dance company to be established in Missouri. She performed for years in India, including before a former President of India, before coming to the US.
Theckla (Ila) Mehta (below), one of Asha Prem’s first students, has been a prominent member of the company, assisting in artwork, props, and elements of choreography.
Patrick Suzeau, a Professor of Modern Dance at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, has been performing with Dances of India for over a decade. He performs both Bharata Natyam and pieces fused with Indian and modern elements.
Monica Newsam, a professional modern dancer, has also been with Dances of India for years, performing both Indian and modern pieces.
At least forty students have completed their arangetram (dance graduation performance) with Dances of India, both in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri (where Asha Prem has been teaching for over a decade). An arangetram requires years of training and dedication from the student to this complex art form.
Dances of India’s mission is to preserve and broaden the knowledge of the traditions of India through classica/folk dance performances and workshops, as well as by collaborations with local dance companies, and to engage in multicultural outreach activities.
In additon, Dances of India believes in the power and beauty not simple of Indian dance, but of dance itself! The company believes Indian dance can enchant as well as educate all members of the community, from children to senior citizens (Dances of India has performed in many senior citizen homes), from underserved minority communities to the population at large.
Thus company members have performed in a variety of settings, such as on a burning hot stage at the VP Fair (workers had to spread ice upon it to cool it down), in a downpour at the Warrenton, MO International Festival, in a carpeted cafeteria of a St. Louis corporation.
As the company delights in the many styles of dance around the globe, it initiated the St. Louis Dance Festival Showcase, now in its ninth year. This Festival has grown in popularity—so much so that the number of participating companies in this unique homegrown event has tripled since 2000, the year of its inception.
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