KIRSTEN NEWELL
DATE OF BIRTH: 16/10/1987 - NATIONALITY : British
W: kirstennewellindiandance.com - E: kirstennewell0@gmail.com
WORK:
Self Employed – Bharatanatyam dance artist
Personal Website: https://www.kirstennewellindiandance.com
Dance School in Edinburgh, Findhorn & Inverness: http://www.cosmic-dance.com
DANCE Qualifications and Awards:
BA/First class Bharatanatyam Graduate, Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, India, 2009-2013. Main subject: Bharatanatyam. Secondary subject: Carnatic Vocal. Yoga, dance, theory, heritage, history, Folk dance and two years of Kathakali training.
Siva Nanda HATHA Yoga Teacher training 2013, Sivananda Ashram, Himalayas, Netala, India
Kirtan teacher training, 200 hours, Mayapur, India 2024
Diploma in contemporary Indian dance at Attakalari Center for movement arts in Bangalore, India, 2007-2008.
Main Projects/Productions
Plastic Drastic Fantastic production by Akademi at The Southbank Centre, London, April 2024
MaMa production Hong Kong - AWAKE International festival, December 2023
Plastic Drastic Fantastic production by Akademi, England tour September-November 2023
Nila in collaboration with Beyond Bollywood (Hong Kong) and Akademi (London) - Performances in Athens and England, Summer of 2023.
Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found Scottish tour – April/May 2023
Dance as Yoga development funded by LUTSF and Creative Scotland - India 2022/23
MaMa run at The Pianodrome & Dance Base Edinburgh Fringe 2022
MaMa Scottish tour, summer 2022
Brihati R&D with Leela Samson supported by Dance Base and Creative Scotland, May 2022
Snow Motions at Dance Base, rehearsals for Hebridean Treasure December 17th 2021.
EKTA performance Euros Glasgow 2021
MaMa residency – Dance Base May 2021
Akademi dance film festival – March 2021
Narratives o and 1s R&D by Mathangi Keshavan - London, 2020 and 2021.
Nehru Centre London, Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi 150 years, 2nd October.
MaMa R&D supported by Creative Scotland and Akademi, creation of Dance on Screen.
Srishti Dance Creations for Srishti Squared dance film, July/August 2020.
R&D and Performance of ‘Spy Monkey’ at The Royal Opera House London, with ATMA Dance Company. Spring 2020.
Cosmic Dance Performance in London Indian Raga Festival, January 2020.
The Natya Kala Conference, Chennai , India. Performing ‘Play Ball’ by Srishti Dance Creations. December 2019.
R&D and Performance of a restaging of The Place prize winner ‘Quick’ at Akademis 40th anniversary. London Rich Mix October 2019.
Dancer for Dance Dialogues - choreographer Seeta Patel. Touring throughout the UK alongside Right of Spring production. May 2019.
Hebridean Treasure R&D and debut performance at The Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh 2019. Edinburgh Fringe 2019, One week run at Surgeons Hall and one at Dance Base.
The Natya Project – Summer 2018, three week dance residency with Seeta Patel and Shane Shambhu, ending with a performance at The Mac, Birmingham August 2018
Vyuti Dance Company Bangalore rehearsals June-August 2017. Performance at The India Habitat Centre, Delhi, India, August 2017.
Collaborations/choreography projects – Various collaborations with Scottish based musicians and dancers. Performances and virtual performances throughout Scotland i.e. The Edinburgh Fringe festival, Hindu Mandir, Edinburgh University, Glasgow Melas, Interfaith festivals, Diwali, Dhussera, Navaratri celebrations 2019- 2024.
Vision MechanicsCompany Production ‘Embrace’. Autumn Tour Scotland 2014
Main dance productions with Dance Ihayami, Scotland:
‘Ras Leela’ one week residency July 2019.
‘Silent Space’ production, Ullapool festival - Spring 2018
‘Silent Space’ Production, Autumn tour, Scotland 2016/2017
‘Silent Space’ Edinburgh Festival, Dance Base 2016
‘Masala’ Edinburgh Festival, 2016
‘India Flamenco’ at Alba Flamenco Aug 2013 and 2014.
‘Blue Lotus’ Botanical gardens, Edinburgh.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter production. 2013/2014
Teaching/Classes in Scotland
Cosmic Dance bharatanatyam classes (2019- present) http://www.cosmic-dance.com/
Weekly Bharatanatyam ISTD/OFAAL exam syllabus and fusion choreography in Inverness and Findhorn – October 2022- Current
Bharatanatyam classes teaching ISTD/OFAAL exam syllabus – Broughton St Marys Parish Church, Edinburgh – 2019 - Current
Edinburgh University Hindu Society - Bharatanatyam/yoga for students - 2020
Guest Bharatanatyam teacher for The Specialist Dance Unit at Broughton High School – 2019
Outreach Projects: Outreach projects in Scotland from 2013 to present have included dance with elderly, primary schools, and secondary schools, workshops with carers, disadvantaged communities, children and adults with learning difficulties.
Yoga Classes:
Lunch time Yoga online for students and staff of Edinburgh University at Edinburgh University's Chaplaincy, Potter Row, 2013-2021
Yoga for staff – Broughton High School, St Georges and St Peters primary Edinburgh – 2016 – current (now offering on zoom every Tuesdays)
Past Bharatanatyam classes:
Teacher for Dance Ihayami’s School. From 2013 – December 2019. http://danceihayami.org/
•Teaching weekly Bharatanatyam classes in Edinburgh, Glasgow.
HIGHERS: BROUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL 2004
Philosophy B, Drama studies B, Media studies B, Art and design B, English - D
References
Suba Subramaniam –
Biography
My training in ballet and contemporary instilled in me a passion for dance from a young age and in 2006 I began training in Edinburgh with Priya Srikumar; it was from here that my connection with India began. I went initially to Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bangalore, India. My love of the form and desire to perfect the technique led me into the renowned Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, India. For four years, I immersed myself fully in the essence of Bharatanatyam, its culture and tradition and graduated with a first class degree in 2013.
Since returning to Scotland I have spent the past 6 years working as a professional dancer honing these skills and developing my creative abilities within productions throughout the UK and India. There have been several notable productions that I have been part of in the last few years that deal with the contemporisation of Bharatanatyam. These projects include working with renowned celebrated artists such as Leela Samson, Shane Shambhu, Seeta Patel , ATMA Dance Company, Akademi, Srishti Dance Creations, Mathangi Keshavan and Vyuti Dance Company.
I am now focusing my energy in Scotland and working on my own projects that apply this expressive dance form to themes that are more relevant to today, taking this under-represented art form of Bharatanatyam to a deeper level of understanding within Scotland.
www.kirstennewellindiandance.com
In 2019 I began working with Oxana Banshikova (Founder and artistic director of Cosmic Dance). Under the Cosmic Dance umbrella, we work together in growing and popularizing Bharatanatyam in its traditional and modern form in Scotland. As Kalakshetra graduates and sharing 15 years of teaching and performing experience, we are striving to promote and grow innovative and high quality South Asian Dance through our collaborative and independent work in UK and abroad.
