“I come to my art-form as a polymorphic, polylingual, polycultural individual. Being a Prairie-born French, Hindi and Bengali-speaking Canadian of Indian origin, I am particularly interested in the relationship between artistic creativity and cultural identity. I believe that the summer residency programme will be extremely important in addressing the main issues pertinent to the continued enhancement of Bharatanatyam in North America: for example, the programme will go a long way to address the particular concerns and key issues facing the Indian dance community in Canada, such as the lack of standardized curriculum, availability of music, musicians and technical resources, as well as lack of strong and enduring collaborative ties, and resources between various dance companies and individuals. This programme will enable the development of dialogue and works in progress beyond the duration of the summer residency programme, not only between various regions in Canada, but also between various dance idioms and creative processes.

This programme will inaugurate a new phase in the historical evolution of Bharatanatyam in North America by establishing the institutional foundations to begin building a strong basis of support and collaboration between various practitioners of Indian and Western dance forms ... I anticipate with eagerness the opportunity to exchange ideas and forge new alliances. I look forward to participating in this groundbreaking programme, which will no doubt plant the seeds for furthering and expanding artistic collaboration and co-operation between Bharatanatyam dances in North America.”