Based in Mississauga, a city on the outskirts of Toronto with a large South Asian population, Sampradaya Dance Creations sees its role as a catalyst in the community. In this story, Lata Pada, talks about the company's efforts to link audiences with its performance work, as well as its innovative and inclusive approaches of engagement with the community by partnering with various community-based organizations. - D.D.D.

For quite some time I have been concerned about the arts being regarded as "elitist," accessible to a privileged few. I believe there is a correlation between shrinking audiences for the arts and an increase in the "disconnect" between artist and community.

Our vision as animateurs in the community has been realized through the Banyan Tree project, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. With a three-year grant we have been able to develop and implement an arts-based community development initiative that engages with South Asian seniors, new immigrants and youth, enabling the company to animate a deeper level of engagement with its community through collaborative and synergistic partnerships.

While Sampradaya is primarily engaged in performance and touring, we are increasingly sensitive to a rapidly growing demographic that is not offered the opportunity to experience the arts. We see ourselves not just as an arts organization but also as a community outreach and arts development agency.

We recently premiered Beneath the Banyan Tree, a multi-disciplinary performance project, with an integral arts education component. We worked with a curriculum consultant from the York District School Board and an Arts Education Ph.D. student in developing a study guide. The guide is based on Beneath the Banyan Tree and addresses a number of curriculum subjects such as math, language, social sciences, and life issues through dance and rhythm. The play incorporates dance, puppets, music and stories drawn from the Panchatantra, part of the living folklore traditions of India and considered to be textbooks of universal and practical wisdom.

The story is about a young girl who has moved from India to Canada, bringing with her the stories of the Panchatantra, as told by her grandmother. She draws on the values that are inherent in the stories and on her grandmother's wisdom to overcome the prejudice and racism that she encounters in adapting to a new culture. The values give her strength to turn the situation around and to influence her classmates.

The reaction to the play has been thus far very positive. School Board officials have been absolutely thrilled with the outcome of this project, telling us that it will be an important work to present to schools. At the moment, there is nothing that speaks to cultural diversity in this way for that particular age group.

Our work with South Asian seniors centres on their intense sense of isolation and displacement of identity in finding themselves in a new country. Many of them have come to Canada to be reunited with their adult children. Given the unfamiliar surroundings, this uprooted generation may lack the ability to interact socially or to participate in community events. They may be hesitant to see a performance that's contemporary because it differs from their expectations of what constitutes the arts.

Working in community settings and building partnerships is time-consuming. The effort that is required in building a relationship with a community organization and a group of people to develop a project can be daunting, and must be approached with sensitivity and patience. I have often felt that it is far easier to work with professional artists, where one is more in control of the process and outcome. An artist working in community needs to have the tenacity, perseverance and conviction that this work is important.

We have been working on Kabhi Meethaa-Kabhi Katthaa, translated from Hindi as Sometimes Sweet-Sometimes Sour, a drama project with seniors and new immigrants drawn from an organization called India Rainbow Community Services of Peel. The project involved a community leader working with a theatre director and twelve seniors to develop a script that addressed their issues of exclusion and non-identity. Through regular meetings, workshops and improvisational exercises, a storyboard was created leading to the writing of a play by one of the seniors.

We have also been conducting folk dance classes for these seniors. Folk dances are integral to the culture of India. The seniors feel most comfortable with these forms because they don't require a high degree of dexterity or training and they offer them an opportunity to interact with their peers.

Being involved in the community is implicit when you work in South Asian dance. Dance is an important expression of cultural identity and therefore much valued by the community for its ability to reinforce cultural values and traditions.

An artist working in the South Asian community is regarded as a community leader, having an influence that goes beyond teaching and performing. The artist serves as a role model in this community, inspiring new generations of young South Asians to take pride in their cultural traditions. And because dance teachers and choreographers are working with multi-generational communities, they can observe shifting realities, tastes and expectations within the community.

We must therefore have a strategic approach to our work to ensure its relevance to different generations. The older South Asian generation has a sense of what Indian dance or music should be. Their Canadian-born children, however, may not have that sensitivity. Their tastes and their expectations are, of course, different from their parents. A third generation is emerging: five- and six-year olds, taking dance classes, balancing tap, jazz, and Bharatanatyam. They are completely integrated and do not see a dichotomy in being both Canadian and South Asian. Because South Asians do things as a family, it is quite typical to see a grandparent bringing a grandchild to a dance performance. We need to consider their expectations, while also pursuing our own artistic vision.

Due to my personal history and tragedy in my life, I have experienced the value of dance and art as an important tool to overcome some terrible things that happen in society. Through repeated performances of my work, Revealed By Fire, I have understood the value of the work and seen how people have been transformed by it, how they have been moved to make some positive changes in their lives. This work has not only given me a new meaning in my life, but it has provided a great understanding of the transcendental value of art.

The challenge has been to remove some misconceptions that Bharatanatyam is an ethno-specific art form. How do I make this art form, with its own cultural aesthetics and ethos, a strong, dynamic, communicative vehicle that anyone can relate to? How can I demystify the art form and eliminate perceptions of "exotic" and "ethnic?" Over the years, I've been working through these issues through many workshops in Toronto's inner city with the DARE Arts Foundation, as well as holding post performance talkbacks and "process revealed" sessions with my audiences.

We see a critical need for a South Asian arts development agency and hope some day to have the resources to embark on this important path, that of doing developmental work in community. At this stage, Sampradaya Dance Creations is not in a position to deliver all these projects and services. We essentially see ourselves as being a catalyst. With our passion for and expertise in the arts, and our conviction that the arts have a vital place in the community, we are building on these connections.

Sampradaya is built on a solid base of community support through partnerships with various South Asian cultural organizations. We operate through the Sampradaya Dance Academy, a training institution that is a separate entity from the professional activities of the Company-Sampradaya Dance Creations. The two organizations are linked in an organic way, enabling the continuum of training to a professional career in dance.