Dance Art Journal | Akademi : Nurturing innovative practice in South Asian dance

Read our Artist Commissions recipients interview with Dance Art Journal, published on 11 February 2025. Artists Anjana Bala, Kesha Raithatha and Shivaangee Agrawal talk about their exciting new projects and how this commission will facilitate the research and making.

Very recently, South Asian dance organisation Akademi announced a series of commissions in partnership with DanceEast for artists who are pushing innovation in their respective dance forms. The awardees were Shivaangee Agrawal, Anjana Bala, Chandenie Gobardhan, Divija Melally and Kesha Raithatha. 

We spoke to Shivaangee, Kesha and Anjana about their commissions and what this kind of support means at a time where financial support is becoming increasingly challenging.

“Akademi has consistently demonstrated a strong belief in my artistic vision and exploration of diverse movement and concepts. They’ve always been a true advocate for my unique voice as an artist, I am immensely grateful for this commission, which will allow me to further develop this nascent concept and challenging creative direction.”

Kesha Raithatha