Once a year in March/April, either one of Puja Unni’s esteemed acharyas Renjth or Vijna conduct a Bharatanatyam workshop for the students of Spanda. This is a truly unique opportunity for the students to learn from their teacher’s acharyas and expand their personal repertoire by learning from one of India’s sought-after Bharatanatyam duo.

2 day Masterclass aiming to understand the musical nuances of the popular Tyagaraja Krithi, Nagumomu. An interesting insight, and detailed idea of the influence of perspectives in music was taught to the students. Understanding the lines through what is told and the untold from between the lines was also one of the key features of this masterclass.

In connection with Ganesha Chathurthi, a workshop was organised for making an Eco-Friendly Ganesha. The workshop offered an insight to the practicality of clay modelling and each participant got home with their own version of a hand-made plantable Ganesha.

Malavika Varadan is a renowned radio personality, drama educator, TEDx speaker and Managing Director of The Hive in Dubai.

The drama workshop conducted by Malavika for Spanda’s students was an educational and immensely fun introduction to theatre that was thoroughly enjoyed by the participants. The workshop imparted valuable basics in live theatre which can be applied on stage for a compelling Bharatanatyam performance.

Professional storyteller Shereen Saif is a Dubai based artist with a practice that also spans dance, theatre, voice acting and installation art. The session for the Bharatanatyam students at Spanda was an immersive journey through a mixed bag of tales from the Indian tradition and other world cultures told in a contemporary manner, enhanced by music, movement and audience interaction. The session focused on getting parents and children to bond over language, stories and play.

december - 2018

The fun and skill-developing Winter Camp conducted in December 2018 offered an array of dance, theatre, fitness, and art and craft activities that were taught by Dubai-based experts in each field.

Bharatanatyam students and teachers in Dubai were elated to have the opportunity to learn the nuances of abhinaya from renowned Abhinaya exponent Smt. Indira Kadambi. The senior student of Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan conducted a three-day intensive workshop at Spanda.