The Sadhana Project is a development initiative offering a resourced environment for practitioners of South Asian dance developing their own work. With a focus on practice - in form, choreography, discourse, writing - we desire to create a space for study and reflection in dance making.  

Artists from a wide scope of practices across South Asia are invested together, discussing aesthetics, form, the body, context, content and how to move towards a widening ecology. Through residency environments as well as the Think Dance series we continue to engage in conversation and critique, deepening our relationships with dancing and each other.

Creative Residency Artists 20/21

The Creative Residency supports artists in a choreographic process by providing space and time for thinking, research, and practice. Composed of 100 hours of studio time, $6000 financial contribution, public sharings, commissioned writing/interview and high-quality archival photo/video documentation.

The 20/21 artists were selected by a curatorial committee of intergenerational artists who contribute generously to this sector. We thank Deepti Gupta, Ellora Patnaik, Suma Nair and Fabien Maltais-Bayda for their insight and curatorial labour.

We are excited to support the development of 3 new works by choreographers Neeraja Ramani (Toronto), Sujit Vaidya (Vancouver) and Tanveer Alam (Toronto).

• Neeraja is exploring a de-construction of the book, Kama Sutra, to question codified behavioral structures for women's bodies through a contemporary lens.

• In the medium of film, Sujit is examining queer expression and experience through Bharatanatyam vocabulary.

• Tanveer is engaging with the specificities of the spine in Kathak through the repertoire context of the Taal Bandish.

“Here I am, stepping into exploring and taking risks with comfort through this residency as a visible minority. The time, space and financial support that is made available here are important and integral for the growth of dancers in the community, who are working within multiple aesthetics and training.”

-Neeraja Ramani

“I feel seen and heard as an artist. This residency validates artistic merit for dancers with practices that occupy spaces, aesthetics and traditions outside of dominant eurocentric contemporary lineages. It is one of the rare times when my inclusion does not feel like a checkbox. I'm excited for Tanveer and Neeraja’s work and my hope is this becomes part of mainstream cultural programming and funding protocols.”

-Sujit Vaidya

"For the first time, I have been given the space, financial resources and time to research choreography, whilst being anchored by knowledge and support that stem from within my dance form and community."

-Tanveer Alam

Space Residency Artists 20/21

In addition to the Creative Residency Artists, we were able to support additional applicants through small space residencies of 10-20 hours at Collective Space. Space Residency Artists through the Sadhana Project 20/21 are: Ragamalika Mohanraj, Pallavi Maity, Anojini Kumaradasan, Prajakta Dravid, Mushtari Afroz, Kieran Hierallal, Rachana Joshi, Purawai Vyas, Nyda Kwasowsky, Harikishan S. Nair, Sukriti Sharma, Nidhi Baadkar

Creative Residency Artists 20/21: Neeraja Ramani (Toronto), Sujit Vaidya (Vancouver), Tanveer Alam (Toronto)

Space Residency Artists 20/21: Ragamalika Mohanraj, Pallavi Maity, Anojini Kumaradasan, Prajakta Dravid, Mushtari Afroz, Kieran Hierallal, Rachana Joshi, Purawai Vyas, Nyda Kwasowsky, Harikishan S. Nair, Sukriti Sharma, Nidhi Baadkar

The Sadhana Project was originally developed by Brandy Leary and Kalaisan Kalaichelvan in 2019.