From grassroots origins to international audiences, we produce high-quality dance projects, develop artistic careers and improve wellbeing for our participants.
Our medium is the classical Indian dance of Odissi. Originating from the Bay of Bengal over two thousand years ago, Odissi deals with themes that remain just as relevant in storytelling today, from love and devotion to anger and sorrow.
Founded by our Artistic Director Sushmita Pati, Kala The Arts has spent 25 years sharing this ancient art form with over 300 schools and communities from our base in Hampshire. We create new professional pieces of work for touring to arts venues, outdoor spaces and festivals. We’re also an established Arts in Education charity, working with professional artists to exchange our knowledge and expertise, ready to be shared across our educational workshops, residencies and classes.
“Kala the Arts is encouraging mothers and daughters to share the joy of dancing together.”
Padmavibhushan Sonal Mansingh ji
Our dancers and artists deliver renowned workshops and performances that bring Odissi to thousands of new audience members every year. Full of graceful movement, dancers of all ages and experiences are invited to try Odissi, an opportunity to put daily life on hold and connect back to a centuries-old practice of expression. Through dance, we promote diversity, integration and community cohesion.
Kala means ‘the arts’ in Sanskrit, so as our name suggests, Kala The Arts enables an ancient Indian dance to meet a new, contemporary audience here in the UK.
Developing South Asian Dance and related Arts, in particular Odissi, within the Southwest region and beyond is Kala The Arts’ key purpose and raison d’être.
We strive for excellence and creativity in South Asian dance, music and other related arts through our high quality performances and productions and developmental projects such as residencies, long term community workshops, nurturing local talent by offering scholarships and excellent training programmes for all age groups and skills levels.
Through our education programme, we aim to encourage awareness of South Asian dance and music and present it in such a way that it is relevant to life in Britain today. Our aim is to bring as many people as possible in contact with the creativity and high quality work of Kala The Art’s South Asian dance and music practice within Hampshire and beyond.
Our purpose and objective is to actively engage, entertain and empower the local communities/audiences of all age groups through its various participatory programmes of work which become culturally rich and become positive experiences. Kala The Arts embraces education and lifelong learning as its core values. The outcome of the company’s work has left participants with lasting long-term benefits.
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