Dr. Sunil Kothari was a well-respected and well-known Indian dance historian, scholar and critic. His reviews and opinion mattered to many artists, and his contribution to the arts was invaluable. In his memory, the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company and The Drishtikon Dance Foundation founded the Dr. Sunil Kothari Award for Emerging Artist in 2021. This award was to honor creatives in the field of dance and to recognize them for their efforts. By associating with the name of Dr. Sunil Kothari, immediately high quality is to be expected in all the entries. Submissions were sent in by dancers and choreographers who were nominated by Gurus from various genres. This year was the fourth edition of this initiative. The team announced the winners on Dr. Sunil Kothari’s birthday. Congratulations to the honorees and especially to Kavya Ganesh, who won for bharatanatayam and her entry, “Predator or Prey?” Kavya Ganesh is a bharatanatyam dancer and founder-curator of Shambhavi Soirees.
I personally saw Kavya Ganesh perform in NY a few years back where she presented a unique choreography about time. Though the stage was large, and the music was so minimal, she dominated the stage with her presence. I was glad to see an artist try new concepts and develop her own identity in the field. She is a deserving awardee! You can see her winning submission below as well as the list of the honorees.
HONOREES:
First: KAVYA GANESH (Bharatanatyam) | Man: Predator or Prey?
Second: BABINA DEVI (Manipuri) | YUM – A Home Of One’s Own
Second: MEDHA HARI (Bharatanatyam) | Right Turn
Second: PRASHANT MORE (Contemporary) | Pause, Don’t Pause. Forward, Fast Forward
As listed by the organization, the esteemed panel of judges were as follows:
Anuradha Parikh, Founder & Artistic Director G5A Foundation for Contemporary Art, Mumbai; Manish Kansara, Sculptor, Teacher & Set Designer; Morag Deyes, Choreographer, Mentor & Curation Adviser to International Festivals; Sooraj Subramaniam, Dancer & Choreographer; Suanshu Khurana, Journalist & Editor; Sudeep Sen, Poet, Translator, Artist and Editor; and Vaibhav Arekar, Dancer & Choreographer.
Follow Kavya on Instagram: kavya__ganesh
Follow Aditi Mangaldas on Instagram: aditimangaldas
Follow Drishtikon Dance Foundation on Instagram: drishtikondance
