Indian Letters
Indian Letters Pitch Video
Indian Letters is an immersive digital-theater project about two people, both dancers, who rediscover themselves through a dynamic dialogue of cultural exchange by asking the question "where is home?" and to throw new light on personal identity in the twenty-first century.
Indian Letters initially started as a dialogue in 2016 between dancers Amar Ramasar (Former Principal dancer NYCB) and Preeti Vasudevan (artistic director, Thresh) seeking to find a common route to identity through their respective classical languages of ballet and bharatanatyam. The project, originally called Etudes, developed into an intimate dialogue of friendship, curiosity and growing trust. However, in 2018, during the peak of Ramasar’s professional career, he was impacted greatly by allegations connected with the #MeToo movement. During this critical time, Vasudevan was one of the first female choreographers to extend support to Ramasar and continue working with him, bringing a deeper impact into their work through these dark times. A major part of this gesture was a three week journey to India, where the two dancers immersed themselves in experiencing their shared heritage – Indian. This journey alongside their growing trust in each other and shared stories is the foundation of Indian Letters, where these two dancers share their private world with the larger community making their personal experiences instantly universal, opening up deep and vulnerable questions of individual and communal identity and discovering the notion of home.
Photo Credits: Slezak and Pavlos, Titus Ogilvie-Laing
Indian Letters was featured at the "Uptown Underground Dance Festival" presented by Works & Process at the Guggenheim.
Preeti and Amar shared segments of their work on January 15th, 2024 in the Guggenheim Theater, exciting audiences with their creative journey. The sharing featured a pre-show talk with Linda Murray, dance curator at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, NY, and a timeline of their collaboration over the years. Multimedia filmwork created by filmmaker Danielle Mulcahy accompanied the live performance. This showing was a culmination of three LaunchPad residencies commissioned by Works & Process between November 2022 and October 2023 in partnership with the Catskills Mountain Foundation, NY; The Yard, and Circuit Arts in Martha's Vineyard.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council.
Indian Letters has been developed in Works & Process LaunchPAD residencies at Catskill Mountain Foundation (2022 and 2023) and The Yard, in partnership with Circuit Arts (2023).
LaunchPad Residency (Oct. 2023)
Commissioned by Work & Process, NY (in partnership with Circuit Arts and Catskill Mountain Foundation)
October 2023 rehersal footage performed by Preeti Vasudevan and Amar Ramasar.
Video credits: Danielle Mulcahy
Indian Letters October 2023 residency was supported by Works & Process through the LaunchPad Residency in Hunter, NY. Artists Amar Ramasar, Preeti Vasudevan, and Danielle Mulcahy explored and created a new solo with Amar Ramasar and further developed the "Varanasi Story" with Preeti Vasudevan in preparation for their showing in January 2024 at the Guggenheim Museum as part of Works & Process' Underground Uptown Dance Festival. The works were created at Doctorow Center for the Arts through the Catskills Mountain Foundation and Circuit Arts who were supporting partners of Indian Letters.
Rehearsal Images.
Photo Credit: Danielle Mulcahy, 2023
LaunchPad Residency (Sept. 2023)
Commissioned by Work & Process, NY (in partnership with Circuit Arts and Martha's Vineyard)
September 2023 Final Showcase: "Varanasi Story" performed by Marie Lloyd Paspe at The Grange Hall, Martha's Vineyard
The Indian Letters September residency was supported by Works & Process through the LaunchPad Residency in Martha's Vineyard. The development of a new section of the project called "Varanasi Story" was created in combination with live performance and multimedia (film documentary from 2019). The work was created at The Yard and Circuit Arts who were supporting partners of Indian Letters. This solo work was created in collaboration with Artistic Director, Preeti Vasudevan and creative artists Ramona Kelley and Marie Lloyd Paspe.
"Varanasi Story" Rehearsal Footage at The Yard
Images from the presentation at The Grange Hall
Photo Credit: Manjit Singh Hoonjan, 2023
Indian Letters, formerly known as Etudes has been developed and supported by various organizations and individuals since 2016.
Some highlights are:
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The Center for Ballet and the Arts, NYU (2016)
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National Dance Institute (2016/2018)
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American College of Greece, Athens (2017)
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MESS @ the Fire Museum (2019)
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US Department of State (2019)
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Works & Process (2022, 2023)
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Works & Process Underground Uptown Dance Festival (2024)
Photo Credits: Slezak and Pavlos, Titus Ogilvie-Laing
In 2019, Vasudevan and Ramasar journeyed to India to do a 3 week documentary film to make deeper connections with their heritage and their working narrative. The tour took them from the south of India all the way to the north and eventually to the eastern port city of Kolkata where Ramasar's forefather was shipped as an indentured laborer to Trinidad.
Their tour of India was partially funded by the US Department of State to foster cultural diplomacy by performing their creative work and conducting workshops for dance schools and underserved youth communities.
Indian Letters is a dynamic combination of the documentary and the live creative work between Vasudevan and Ramasar.
Indian Letters explores the topics of friendship and trust, changing lives and empowering each other through the mutual journey together. As part of the development of the project, unique workshops are offered to students and community members to experience these topics through the artistic process and tailored workshops that inform the work.
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Indian Dance-Theater Workshop Series:
Renowned choreographer Preeti Vasudevan offers classes and workshops in Indian classical dance, original choreography for stage and film, and storytelling through theater and gesture. Preeti's expertise through Embodied Learning and Laban Movement Analysis enriches her teaching, building stories through a personal journey and seeking a true inner voice to express your authentic story. As part of the workshops, Preeti can work on setting an original work on students of dance or piece from Thresh’s repertoire.
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Ballet Workshop Series:
Award-winning ballet dancer Amar Ramasar offers classes and workshops in classical ballet, esp the technique and approach of George Balanchine. From the fundamentals of ballet to excerpts from repertoire pieces, Amar will educate students about the history and techniques of ballet. Furthermore, Amar will share his personal journey into the world of ballet and his own multicultural heritage and identity.
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Film Making Workshops:
Documentary filmmaker Danielle Mulcahy will lead workshops on film malign and authentic cultural storytelling. Introduction to filmmaking, storyboarding and script writing for film will be led by Danielle. The workshops will be like an incubator for students to experiment with real stories, script them and make mini films that include topics of the project.
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Process Development Workshops:
All artists will discuss their individual and collective experience in the development of Indian Letters and workshop parts of the project with participants to create new models of creation through the original approach by the participants. There will be a talk back and discussion about identity, personal voice, heritage and trust as part of the workshop.
Download Indian Letters Education & Outreach PDF
Preeti Vasudevan: Artistic Director/Choreographer/Performer
Award-winning choreographer and cultural storyteller Preeti Vasudevan's provocative theatrical works redefine individual identity, uniting artists and audiences alike. Her creations have been lauded as a refreshing collision of eastern and western aesthetics pushing for a new expression in art-making. Using just about every mode of the performing arts (including dance, music, poetry, visual art, mime, and theater), Preeti invites cutting-edge collaborators to form a 21st-century language of expression. Her unconventional storytelling challenges the status quo of dance-theater, bridging ancient traditions with the contemporary world.
Amar Ramasar: Performer, Co-Creator
Amar Ramasar began his studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in 1993. Mr. Ramasar became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in 2000 and joined the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet the following year. He was promoted to Soloist in 2006 and Principal Dancer in 2009. While dancing with the Company Mr. Ramasar was featured in numerous works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Mr. Ramasar was a recipient of the Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer in 2015, and a Mae L. Wien Award recipient for 2000. Ramasar has been featured in many collaborative projects as well as in lead roles on Broadway (Carousel and West Side Story).
Kamala Sankaram: Composer
Praised as “one of the most exciting opera composers in the country” (Washington Post), composer Kamala Sankaram moves freely between the worlds of experimental music and contemporary opera. Recent commissions include works for The Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, the PROTOTYPE Festival, and Creative Time, among others.
Kamala is known for her operas fusing Indian classical music with the operatic form, including Thumbprint, A Rose, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers, and the forthcoming Jungle Book.
Danielle Mulcahy: Filmmaker
Danielle is a multidisciplinary filmmaker and designer with an extensive documentary and creative catalog. She graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, with a BFA, double major in film and illustration. She is currently the Creative Director at Circuit Arts and a Filmmaker with Circuit Films. An accomplished solo videographer and director, she has collaborated with a variety of artists and nonprofits, highlighting video animations, and video projection installations. Her works have been presented in a variety of events and venues, with recent works most notably featured at Mass MoCA and The Guggenheim. Danielle is an experienced editorial illustrator and graphic designer, and when she isn’t working for Circuit Arts she is busy with painting, designing textiles, and curating work for her small business dedicated to preserving old art forms called, Archil Designs. Danielle is a full-time resident of the small island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
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