A Report 

Dance workshop and seminar at Kolkata 
- Urmimala Sarkar, Kolkata
e-mail: urmimala@vsnl.net 
 

January 4, 2005
 
The World Dance Alliance - Asia Pacific (WDA-AP), went into a collaboration with the Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe, Kolkata, for a week-long dance related activity in Kolkata. Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe, along with the WDA-AP, had organised a workshop on Contemporary dance from 10th to 16th of December 2004, where three groups of dancers/choreographers from Kolkata worked for six days with three choreographers. A two day seminar "Contemporary dance in Asia - Tradition and change: Time and Space in Asian Performance" was arranged on the 11th and 12th of December 2004, at the West Bengal Bangla Academy.  
 
The President of WDA-AP, Prof. Mohd. Anis Md Nor, Professor of Ethnochoreology and Ethnomusicology at the University of Malaya, along with Dr. Cheryl Stock, Associate Professor and Head of Dance, Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, who is one of the Vice Presidents of WDA-AP, Prof. Basilio Esteban Villaruz, Professor, College of Music, University of Manila, the past president of WDA-AP, and Ms. Haeree Choi, Editor in-chief of the "Monthly Dance Magazine" from Korea participated in the Seminar.

There were three choreographers of international repute who came to conduct the dance workshop. One of the workshop conductors / choreographers Frances Rings, has among her many other achievements, received the ‘Award for Outstanding Female Choreographer’ at the Australian Dance Awards 2004.

The other choreographer / workshop conductor was Ms. Hsiu-Ping Chang, who has been a soloist in the Cloud Gate Dance Company, and a famed choreographer having her own contemporary dance company - Sun Shier Dance Company.
 
Dr. Cheryl Stock conducted the workshop for six days with the third group of dancers / choreographers.

World Dance Alliance-Asia Pacific president announced the setting up, and inclusion of The West Bengal WDA-AP Ad Hoc Committee to the folds of WDA-AP. This committee, headed by Urmimala Sarkar is made up of the following colleagues:-

WDA West Bengal
Committee Chairperson: Dr. Urmimala Sarkar (Calcutta University, Uday Shankar India Culture Centre)
Treasurer: Ms. Suman Sarawgi (Choreographer and Manipuri dancer)
Education and Training: Dr. Sruti Bandopadhyay (Rabindra Bharati University)
Creation and Presentation: Mrs. Ranjita Karlekar (Dance Ethnologist)
Research and Documentation: Dr. Urmimala Sarkar (Calcutta University, Uday Shankar India Culture Centre)
Status and Welfare: Ms. Sohini Chakraborty (Sanved)
Management and Promotion: Mr. Chandrodoy Ghosh (Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe)

The WDA West Bengal will also solicit the approval of the West Bengal Dance Federation (membership of more than 400 members) to join WDA West Bengal as an organizational member.  As WDA West Bengal begin working for more projects to engage more dancers / choreographers / teachers / scholars / etc in this region, we hope to see similar beginnings in other regional centers in India.