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Kadam based in Luton, is a significant South Asian dance development agency with international reach. It aims to connect communities in the UK and globally in order to sustain the South Asian art forms, energise the practitioners and the enthusiasts and encourage the development of new work.
Kadam publish Pulse, the premier magazine for South Asian dance and music launched in 2001. In addition Kadam run Unlocking Creativity, the International Summer School focussing on Choreography. Kadam started as an Animateur project in January 1991 by Bedfordshire County Council, Bedford Borough Council and Eastern Arts Board (now Arts Council England - East) with the aim of developing and promoting South Asian dance in Bedfordshire and throughout the country. The project called itself “Kadam” which was administered by Bedford Borough Council.
Kadam was incorporated as a Limited Company with Charitable status in 1995.
Kadam’s mission is to enhance the practice, understanding and appreciation of South Asian dance across the UK within an artistic, social and educational context.
Over the years Kadam has grown from a provider of workshops in schools and community settings into the leading regional dance development agency providing training to youth, creating resources, developing artist and promoting performances.
Kadam’s flagship projects Pulse Magazine and International Summer School play significant role in raising the awareness, appreciation and development of South Asian dance practice both nationally and internationally.
As a member of South Asian Dance Alliance (SADA) formed together with Akademi and Sampad (leading south asian dance organisations), Kadam works strategically across the UK to raise the profile of South Asian dance and encourage excellence in the practice of the art form.
Recently Kadam has made strategic partnerships with Milapfest (UK’s premier year-round South Asian Arts Festival & Development Agency) and the hat Factory with an aim to enlarge the scope and breadth of its promotion and education of South Asian dance.
Kadam’s Team
Kadam is backed by enthusiastic team members who work on part time and project basis:
Sanjeevini Dutta - Artistic Director Kali Dass - Artist in Residence Katie Ryan - Admin. Assistant Board of Directors
Kadam is governed by an executive Board of Directors, who meet quarterly to review the performance of company’s projects.
Simon Richardson - Chairman / Secretary
Freelance photographer Dipak Mistry – Director
Arts & Business - East David Fraser - Director
Head of Lifelong Learning, Bedfordshire County Council Kalyani Gandhi – Director
Hanover Housing Association Kadam’s latest move
For a decade, Kadam worked from its base in Bedford. In April 2006, the company moved its base to the hat Factory thereby fulfilling its aspiration of being located within a studio and performance space.
Kadam plans to make the hat Factory a hot spot for classical and contemporary south Asian dance through an ambitious programme of classes, commissions, performances and tours.
Regular classes in the classical styles of Kathak and Odissi will be offered alongside Bollywood, a current trend inspired by Indian films. Classes will start in mid-May 2006.
Kadam will work in conjunction with the hat Factory to promote monthly series of “Understanding Classical Indian Dance and Music”. Following the format of a lecture demonstration, leading artists will give audiences insights into their chosen art forms.
Kadam’s artist in residence Kali Dass will create and premier his new production at the hat Factory. As part of its Hothouse programme, artists will be given space to do research and development for new choreographies.
Kadam will work closely with the Borough’s Arts Team to boost the quantity and quality of South Asian arts in Luton whether amateur or professional. Kadam’s successful projects
Over the years, Kadam has successfully organised and delivered programmes that have consistently grown in quality and attracted a wider audience from all sections of the community. Through these programmes, Kadam has worked with youth, community, education and professional artists at local, regional and national level to promote the appreciation and practice of the art form.
1997 - Kadam joined the eastern region’s bid to host The Year of Opera & Musical Theatre. Its proposed dance theatre “Mahabharata” was instrumental in winning the award for the region in 1997.
Mahabharata was the most ambitious dance theatre piece produced by Kadam to date with a cast of over 250 community and professional performers.
The success of Mahabharata helped Kadam to get noticed by national bodies such as the Arts Council England and the other South Asian dance organisations nationally.
The production involved nationally renowned artists such as the director - Nona Sheppard, music composer - Nitin Sawhney and choreographer / actor - Shobna Gulati.
1998 – Kadam started its first long term national project - Summer Dance Camp - one week residential dance training with emphasis on fitness and safer dance practice. (Now known as International Summer School).
1999 – With successful grant from “Arts for Everyone” Kadam produced dance drama based on the adaptation by Salman Rushdie’s short story, “At the auction of Ruby Slippers”. Ruby Slippers won audiences during shows in Bedford, Boston, Ipswich and Norwich which had professional cast supplemented by local community from each of these areas.
2000 - Kadam received yet another outstanding award from the Millennium Commission to create a CD ROM Living Tradition. Living Tradition provides a snapshot of South Asian dance in Britain at the turn of the Millennium. Living Tradition describes and explains the principles and aesthetics of the dance form, different dance styles, which are illustrated with still and moving images. It is a unique resource for artists, teachers, students, venues and even just the curious.
2001 - Kadam took over the production and distribution of Pulse agazine (previously knows as ExTradiTion) from AdiTi - the National body for South Asian dance. The AdiTi newsletter was published quarterly from 1989 to 1999. In the year 2000, the magazine was re-branded as ExTradiTion. With the demise of AdiTi in 2000, South Asian dance was left without a publication. Kadam made a bid to the Arts Council England to revive the magazine with the support of the dance alliance and started publication of Pulse Magazine from spring 2002.
2002 - Kadam produced Boundless Sky - a cross-art-form exchange between dance, visual art and new technology, which resulted in the creation of an exciting and innovative installation. The focus for the work was the celebration of the Commonwealth Games, as part of the Spirit of Friendship Festival.
2002 – Kadam worked on “HUM” – a dance and disability project supported by Theatre Resource, The Bedford Charity and Bedfordshire County Council. HUM developed suitable resources such as music, visual aids, video clips on South Asian dance and music which was made in association with people with special needs.
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