ADiTi: South Asian Dance
ADiTi is the National Organization for South Asian Dance in Britain and has been in existence since 1989. It was set up by a dancers-led initiative with support from the Arts Council of England whose aim was 'to develop an infrastructure within which the forms of South Asian dance can flourish and through which we can ensure South Asian dance moves from the margins to the mainstream of British cultural life'.
ADiTi is a unique organization and one which plays a major role in the development of South Asian dance in Britain. It is a membership organization but its work, services, and activities have always benefited the South Asian dance profession as a whole. It has a strong reputation for being the focal point for individuals and groups involved with and interested in South Asian dance and provides an umbrella of support as well as an important information service. ADiTi has created links with Higher Education Institutions and Universities through courses, such as the South Asian Dance in Schools Certificate, which was run in conjunction with Middlesex University. Our publications include a comprehensive Directory of South Asian Dancers and Musicians, with information on venues and promoters.
More recently, ADiTi has begun working closely with the Roehampton Institute in London, where a research project on South Asian Dance in Britain, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, will be running for two years from July 1999.
ADiTi's major contribution is the new magazine extrADiTion of which the previous avatar was the newsletter ADiTi News. The first issue of the magazine came out in September 1999. With more pages, a brand new design, exciting contributions from dancers, scholars, and educationalists, our magazine is the voice of the South Asian dance profession in the UK. It allows South Asian dancers to keep in touch and be aware of initiatives and events around the country, helping to break the isolation that dancers may feel. It is a forum for the profession to air their views on a variety of pertinent topics and it is also an important educational tool.
One of ADiTi's aims for the Millennium is to create links with South Asian dancers outside the UK. The magazine should also be their voice. South Asian dancers in Britain are eager to know about what their colleagues are doing in the rest of Europe. There is much to learn from each others experience and the magazine provides an opportunity to establish an on-going relationship and debate. extrADiTion lists events and programmes around the country. We would welcome news of performances, conferences, and relevant events happening outside Britain. The magazine publishes reviews on performances in the UK, but we are very interested in what goes on internationally and would be happy to receive reviews (and longer pieces) of events that are taking place elsewhere.
ADiTi's members receive the magazine free of charge and are entitled to a number of discounts and various benefits. The magazine is also available to non-members by subscription or on sale at various bookshops. *
Anyone interested in finding out more about us, subscribing to extrADiTion or contributing to the magazine, please contact:
SHANTI NAGARAJAH, DIRECTOR
CLARE HOLLAND-MARTZOS, ADMINISTRATOR
ADiTi, National Organization of South Asian Dance, 3rd Floor Oldebourne House
46/47 Chancery Lane
London WC2A 1JB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44-207-831 5288
Fax: +44-207-831 5299
E-mail: aditi@globalnet.co.uk