Kàlai Kàviri Collegiate Arts is…
the UK Trust which administers performances and educational workshops in the UK by the dancers and movement instructors from Kàlai Kàviri College in south India.

We are committed… to be couriers of the treasured tradition and legacy of classical and folk dance through learning programmes of academic excellence, including off-campus.

We do this … sometimes through performance in theatres and sometimes devotionally in sacred spaces, conveying spiritual themes and human values.

Otherwise… we offer educational workshops in creative movement, to get all young people to experience the value of movement and its benefits, in personality and emotional development.

Always… we draw on the talents and inspiration of young people from all creeds and classes, especially the disadvantaged.

We use the language of dance and movement to bring dignity to individuals, service to society, holiness to faith, harmony to the world, and glory to creation.

Workshops
If you are a school (or community organization or dance company) interested in an interactive workshop, then please get in touch after looking at our new page about the expansion of the workshop programme for 2006/07 - Click on KÀLAI KÀVIRI-ni CREATIVE MOVEMENT.

Our 2004 and 2005 programme included twelve pilot interactive workshops in a range of schools across different regions – list available on request (The Venues page does not list them). Since then our approach has been substantially remodelled by working with a movement specialist in Hyderabad.

Kàlai Kàviri’s objective has been to maintain its preference for working with less privileged communities in India and internationally.

Performance
If you missed Kàlai Kàviri in 2004 and 2005, this award winning spiritual and liturgical dance group of 10 dancers (8 women, 2 men) from south India’s classical dance tradition of Bharatha Natyam (but also including other regional and folk dances) will be back in 2007 and 2008 for its third and fourth UK visits and 27th and 29th international tours.

In their two England tour months in 2004 and 2005, they danced at 11 cathedrals, 8 Hindu temples, 20 churches, 8 theatres, 12 school workshops, 2 melas, one prison, one city festival, and a Royal inauguration by HRH Duke of Gloucester.

Click on VENUES for the 2005 programme followed by the 2004 record. For preference, Kàlai Kàviri dances at multi-ethnic locations, and especially where there is an inter-faith dimension.

Indian classical dance has a long history of liturgical performance for temple worship. Kàlai Kàviri University College of Fine Arts has choreographed this tradition for church worship and scriptural themes as well as for Hindu temple festivals. These use a sophisticated language of movement, expression and gesture to communicate. The effect for the West is a new spiritual dimension with the colour, grace, reverence and energy of South Indian dance drama.

Kàlai Kàviri College of Fine Arts, south India
Kàlai Kàviri College of Fine Arts is affiliated to the Bharathidasan University of Tiruchirappalli and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tiruchirappalli and is subsidised by the Tamil Nadu State Government after having been given its accolade of 'Best Cultural Institution for the Year 2000'.

It offers Bachelors, Masters and PhD programmes in Dance and Music and at present has 260 full-time students and some 800 part-time students of all faiths and operates a programme of open access with special assistance to students from poor, rural and outcaste families. Short courses and summer Certificate and Diploma programmes are also available. A new ‘world-first’ Off-Campus degree programme has recently been launched.

Further information
http://www.kalaikavirifinearts.com or kalaikaviri@rediffmail.com. Also, http://www.kalaikaviri_ offcamp.com or kalaikaviri_offcamp@rediffmail.com