Akademi announces its new leadership team

Akademi announces its new leadership team of joint Chief Executive Officers. Choreographer, dancer and educator Subathra Subramaniam takes over as Artistic Director of Akademi whilst Kirsten Burrows, currently the organisation’s interim Administrative Director, takes up the role of Executive Director. They will be starting their tenure from November 2019.

Subathra Subramaniam has been artistic director of two innovative South Asian dance companies in the UK, Angika and Sadhana Dance. She is a dance artist who is both a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and a qualified science teacher who has worked at the intersection of dance, culture and science, collaborating with artists and scientists on multi-disciplinary projects in theatres and outdoors. As education co-director of Cape Farewell, she co-organised two voyages to the High Arctic and was instrumental in writing resources for science and geography curricula from research carried out during the voyages.  The organisations for which she has been artist-in-residence include Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at The Maudsley Hospital, London, The Place, South East Dance and The Environment Institute, University College London.

Subathra takes over at Akademi from Mira Kaushik OBE who has led the organisation effectively and been instrumental in shaping the sector over the last 30 years.

Kirsten Burrows has over ten years’ senior management experience including Candoco Dance Company, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, tiata fahodzi, China Plate Theatre, Company Three, Dante Or Die Theatre, Metis and Dash Arts’ Arabic Series. She was previously a producer for Dante or Die, Kayd’s Somali Arts Festival and Context Theatre’s Festival of Art from Pakistan. She has been Akademi’s interim Administrative Director since May 2019.

“We are delighted to make this announcement as we head towards the final segment of a busy year-long programme celebrating our 40th anniversary. We have spent much of 2019 looking back at the legacy of Akademi and its contribution to South Asian Dance in the UK. We are now looking to the future and a leadership team that will spearhead the evolution of Akademi. The Board of Trustees is excited to work with Subathra Subramaniam and Kirsten Burrows as they develop their strategic vision that will continue to place Akademi at the forefront of South Asian Dance. They were the two outstanding candidates and both have a heritage with Akademi that ensures that we will continue to deliver passionate, important work.”

Paul Parashar, Akademi’s Chair of Trustees