AAKASH ODEDRA and SANJUKTA SINHA,

Ahmedabad

Aakash Odedra is an award-winning contemporary dancer and choreographer. He was born in Birmingham and trained in the classical Indian dance styles of Kathak and Bharatnatyam. He was mentored by Akram Khan, allowing Aakash to develop contemporary movement. He formed the Aakash Odedra Company in 2011 and his debut full length solo Rising featured new short works created for him by Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Russell Maliphant.

Sanjukta Sinha is among the leading Kathak dancers of her generation, especially respected for her great artistry and technical ability. She has been trained in Kathak under Guru Padmabhushan Smt. Kumudini Lakhia of Lucknow Gharana. Sanjukta has also been mentored by Farooq Chaudhry - Producer of Akram Khan Company.

At Platform 17, Sanjukta presents excerpts of Kin- illumine and Kin-id, choreographed by Aakash Odedra.

ABHILASH NINGAPPA,

Bengaluru

Abhilash Ningappa is a performer, teacher, and choreographer working in India and Europe. His postgraduate studies were at SEAD (Salzburg) and after that at APASS (Advanced performance and scenography studies), Belgium on a movement research project called PLAY PRACTICE.

He has worked with choreographers such as Constanza Macras in Back to the present, and The past, Katie Ducks Improvisation performances, Tania Carvalho in Icosahedron, Reinhild Hoffman in Pro Choreo Laboratory, Ka fai in what i think about when i think about dancing and Nuni Lazaga To dream or not to dream.

At Platform 17, Abhilash presents excerpts of his piece Architect of Self Destruction, which talks about an experience of movement.

HEMABHARATHY PALANI,

Bengaluru

Hemabharathy Palani is an award-winning choreographer and dancer. Based in Bengaluru, India, she is one of the most promising young talents in contemporary dance scene today. Hema is known for her fluidity, musicality, and evocative performances.

Her classical training in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam serves as a base that roots her, whilst she delves into the expressive capabilities of contemporary dance. Currently, Hemabharathy is the Rehearsal Director at the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, where she also works as a choreographer, performing artist, and teacher.

At Platform 17, Hemabharathy presents excerpts of Yashti, her new work-in-progress choreography, supported by a brief talk about her work and her plans for the future, along with a short projected display of her previous works.

RONITA MOOKERJI,

Bengaluru

Ronita Mookerji is a choreographer and performer, based in Bengaluru, India, and was a Senior Dancer with the Attakkalari Repertory Company.

In 2012, she spent more than a month in Japan with Dance Box’s residency Kobe – Maizuru Exchange Programme. This programme was implemented in cooperation with Art Theatre dB Kobe, Studio dB Kobe, and Maizuru RB (Yashima Art Port).

At the Attakkalari India Biennial 2013, Ronita presented her solo I See Dreams in Grey for the Platform 13. She plays the character of Puck in Khwaab Sa (an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream), directed by Atul Kumar of The Company Theatre, which will tour in India in 2017.

At Platform 17, Ronita presents Who?, a work-in-progress solo contemporary dance piece.

PRITPAL SINGH,

New Delhi

PRITPAL SINGH, New Delhi Pritpal Singh is a dancer and choreographer based in New Delhi, India. He is the Artistic Director of Dance Culture Performing Arts Academy, which has its own line of trained contemporary artists who work with Pritpal.

A passionate dancer and a confident choreographer, Pritpal's technical prowess in Jazz and Contemporary dance was honed initially under Danceworx and later under several renowned teachers from India and abroad. With a professional career stretching for over twelve years, Pritpal has travelled extensively in Europe, South Asia, Russia, and South Africa.

Some of his performances as a dancer include Bollywood Love Story, Dhoom Machale - the movie, and the Queen Baton's Relay for the Commonwealth Games. He has also choreographed Sound of Music for Salwan Public School, Ahista Ahista (as the Assistant Choreographer), and Global Federalism in Sanjha Safar, among others. His contemporary works include Fish without water and Lakshman Rekha.

At Platform 17, Pritpal presents Lakshman Rekha that depicts the right to speech, thought, and deed.

DIYA NAIDU,

Bengaluru

Diya Naidu is a Bengaluru based independent artist whose work has been inspired from an eclectic range of subjects.

Her journey as a choreographer began in 2011, with her first solo, Nadir, under The Robert Bosch Grant for Young Choreographers. Her solo Red Dress Waali Ladki was developed at the Pro Helvetia residency in Zurich, 2015. In 2016, she created Rorschach Touch under the Gender Bender grant. The same year, she also developed Hands And Face Project, which won a Jury Award at The Prakriti Excellence In Contemporary Dance Awards. She is currently choreographing and performing in The Company Theatre’s - Khwaab Sa, directed by Atul Kumar.

At Platform 17, Diya presents the processes of three of her recent works, and the organic link that she found in her journey through making them. The works are Red Dress Waali Ladki, Rorschach Touch, and The Hands And Face Project.