CLP Network

Last weekend I met couple of dancers Anusha and Avanti who are organising the first ever 'Contemporary Dance Festival' -and calling practitioners to take part in a seminar on increased advocacy for contemporary dance to be given same status as the Classical dance. I attended this with Piali Ray, artistic director Sampad who is currently touring her new piece, In the Further Soil in India. Very interesting to hear ideas for shifting the ground where infrastructure support is not well defined or pronounced.  We talked about the structure, tried and tested models of dance initiatives in the UK

, networking as a way of

strengthening the sector. Here I was looking at how artists were considering strategic development, but more importantly they wished to create a u

nified noise and be heard by the right people, such as the practitioners, policy makers, senior officials. 

I've finished drafting the brief note on 'Cultural Leadership in India' and have begun talking to the people who might be interested in this. Listening to Anusha and Avanti made me realise that what they are doing is indeed about leading and making a difference. We've agreed to meet up in near future as they wished to seek my input into the 'networking seminar'. Well, it all gives us a great platform for sharing each other's ideas and practice.