What an incredible year and decade for our community here at Aseemkala! From our humble start in 2017 as an idea between Rohini Bhatia and Shilpa Darivemula, to now a growing network of artists, scientists, and activists, we have remained dedicated to our mission of using traditional dance to transform healthcare.
In the last year, we have had many exciting events:
We were able to continue our choreography of the Mahavidyas in Medicine project, working with Teresa Cuevas (our former fellow!) and Sayoko from the IndoRican Multicultural Project to create stories on the waiting room, with Sophia Salingaros and Sriya Bhumi, our content director, on eating disorders and body dysmorphia in dancers to reimagining our favorite piece, Bagalamukhi’s Words. We are excited that our research on Chinnamasta’s DNR order was shared at several conferences, including Medical Women’s International Association, Performing Arts Medicine Association, and at the IDSM in Montreal. We were able to work with our favorite festival director, Tom Block, and present not only dance but also our very first workshop on their stage at the International Human Rights and Arts Festival. Thank you to photographer Danny Boyd for these pictures from IHRAF!
Our fellows continue to grow, with our final projects being celebrated for their intensity and bravery to explore complex issues, such as race, body dysphmorphia, Vajra Dance, and Ayurveda. We welcome our three new fellows this year and cannot wait to see what they create!
We also connected with the Cambridge Innovation Center, creating a special workshop on movement and health and worked with the Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Institute to perform a dance based interactive lesson for their patients. Thank you to Quisqueya Whitbeck and Dr. Shilpa Kadam for recommending us! We had a blast!
Finally, we celebrate the excellent work of our Content Director, Sriya Bhumi, whose effort has brought us our Instagram page and our increased activity on Facebook. We are grateful for your amazing dedication to everything you do, Sriya! We also celebrate some personal happiness this year, as the Content Director said “I do” to the love of her life, as our Research Director, Rohini Bhatia, begins her journey of residency, and as our Content Director awaits her match for her intern year and beyond. We were able to celebrate the wedding with our entire team present!
We wish you all a very happy new year and look forward to this upcoming year and decade! Thank you for your constant love and support. We will see you all again soon!
Best wishes,
The Aseemkala Board of Directors