Brace yourselves for some graceful tiptoeing

Come November, the city will witness its own ballet festival. A dance form with its origin in France, ballet is slowly climbing the ladder of popularity in India, thanks — in part — to dance reality shows on television. 

Still at a nascent stage in India, the dance form is not widely taken up by many. It was ballerina Ashifa Sarkar Vasi and Karene Lawyer’s mutual love for the dance form that led to the upcoming Ballet Festival of India. The two professional ballerinas founded the festival to broaden the horizons of ballet in India, and the event is set to take place this month.

“Karene and I want it to grow. Keeping that in mind we have brought faculty and teachers with years of experiences and of very high calibre — local as well international — under one roof. This festival will also provide an opportunity for learning and networking,” says Ashifa, who has been teaching ballet for 18 years now. 

Karene Lawyer

Open for people with at least one or two years of experience in the discipline, the festival consists of a seminar, ballet learning session and studio performances at the end of each day. Apart from the professionals invited to perform during the festival, participants also stand a chance to share the stage.

The ballerina goes on to explain, “The festival is an in-depth holistic platform, where people can learn, network, collaborate and perform with an emphasis on learning the artistic and technical aspects of ballet.”

The faculty comprises three city-based ballerinas, while others are from US, UK, and Philippines, among other countries.

“We can learn a lot when together, that is the aim of the festival — to bring the ballet community together,” says Ashifa, emphasising on building an audience appreciating the dance.

Ballet Festival of India 2017 will be held from November 24, 8 am onwards, at Future School of Performing Arts, Bandra Kurla Complex.