The Gardeners of Stories is a collective space that Meera Kanageswaran (Confidance Bharatham) and I are in the process of developing. Gardeners aims to create spaces for South Asian dance artists to build works that don’t easily fit into ‘traditional’ and ‘mainstream’ dance spaces. The salon format our events use offers artists an opportunity to share their works-in-progress with audiences in a casual, supportive setting. Our focus is on works-in-progress that examine exclusionary practices and aesthetics that are embedded in ‘classical’ South Asian dances. In our first two years we grew from a small, local event to featuring international artists. What we heard from the artists and audiences who engaged with us (and each other) is that there is a real need for this kind of a space.

Our garden is currently dormant while we tend to other projects, but you can see some of our past events and artists we have worked with on our Instagram page. More is to come, so keep an eye on our feed!