Pagrav Welcomes Oxygen '23-24 Artists
Pagrav Dance Company is delighted to be welcoming an exceptional cohort to our top flight artists’ development programme – for emerging dancers working with South Asian dance at the core of their practice.
Oxygen 2023-24 will support five emerging dance artists with mentoring, coaching, shadowing, funding, workshops, and training intensives led by top teachers including the company Artistic Director and renowned artist Urja Desai Thakore.
Meet the artists!
Suhani Dhaki Mody
Suhani Dhanki Mody is Bharatanatyam performer, teacher, choreographer and an Assistant Professor of Dance having trained in the theory and practice methodology under Guru Dr. Sandhya Purecha. She has worked with award-winning dance companies and various artists and organisations across the UK, conducted workshops and initiated an edu-series called #WednesdayWisdom for Akademi. She was featured in the list of 40 under 40 promising artists to look out for in the UK released by Akademi in 2019. In March 2020, Suhani joined Manch UK as a Co-Founder. Alongside dance, she works as an actor and project manager for dance-related events.
Image credit: Ben McDade Photography
Suhani Dhanki Mody is Bharatanatyam performer, teacher, choreographer and an Assistant Professor of Dance having trained in the theory and practice methodology under Guru Dr. Sandhya Purecha. She has worked with award-winning dance companies and various artists and organisations across the UK, conducted workshops and initiated an edu-series called #WednesdayWisdom for Akademi. She was featured in the list of 40 under 40 promising artists to look out for in the UK released by Akademi in 2019. In March 2020, Suhani joined Manch UK as a Co-Founder. Alongside dance, she works as an actor and project manager for dance-related events.
Image credit: Ben McDade Photography
Abirami Eswar
Abirami is a Kathak dancer based in London. She is trained in traditional Kathak yet aims to push her creative boundaries by exploring different vocabularies using Kathak as a medium. Abirami has toured extensively in the UK, Middle East and India. She currently works with leading dance companies and independent choreographers across the UK. Her dedication to Kathak and the performing arts has brought her recognition as one of the UK’s 40 under 40 South Asian Artists in 2019. In addition to being a freelance performing artist, Abirami also teaches aspiring Kathak dancers of all ages across England and India. </p
Abirami is a Kathak dancer based in London. She is trained in traditional Kathak yet aims to push her creative boundaries by exploring different vocabularies using Kathak as a medium. Abirami has toured extensively in the UK, Middle East and India. She currently works with leading dance companies and independent choreographers across the UK. Her dedication to Kathak and the performing arts has brought her recognition as one of the UK’s 40 under 40 South Asian Artists in 2019. In addition to being a freelance performing artist, Abirami also teaches aspiring Kathak dancers of all ages across England and India. </p
Tulani Kayani-Skeef
Tulani Kayani-Skeef is a dance artist trained in Kathak and is currently a company dancer and teacher at Sujata Banerjee Dance Company. Since performing in BBC Young Dancer, she has gone on to perform in renowned UK venues such as Sadler’s Wells and Tate Modern, and has worked with choreographers like Gary Clarke and Vidya Patel. She recently premiered her first co-choreographed piece ‘You With U’ for The Place’s ‘Resolution 2023’ festival.
Tulani Kayani-Skeef is a dance artist trained in Kathak and is currently a company dancer and teacher at Sujata Banerjee Dance Company. Since performing in BBC Young Dancer, she has gone on to perform in renowned UK venues such as Sadler’s Wells and Tate Modern, and has worked with choreographers like Gary Clarke and Vidya Patel. She recently premiered her first co-choreographed piece ‘You With U’ for The Place’s ‘Resolution 2023’ festival.
Kesha Raithatha
Kesha is a dancer and choreographer who embodies Kathak and Contemporary movement. She creates work that is rich in detail and experimentally reconsiders contemporary South Asian dance. Her curiosity and exposure to a wide range movement training informs and invigorates her dance-making vocabulary. Kesha is currently one of the Associate Directors & Talent Development Director at Aakash Odedra Company; Work Place Artist at The Place Theatre London and a Resident Creative at The Curve Leicester.
Kesha is a dancer and choreographer who embodies Kathak and Contemporary movement. She creates work that is rich in detail and experimentally reconsiders contemporary South Asian dance. Her curiosity and exposure to a wide range movement training informs and invigorates her dance-making vocabulary. Kesha is currently one of the Associate Directors & Talent Development Director at Aakash Odedra Company; Work Place Artist at The Place Theatre London and a Resident Creative at The Curve Leicester.
Payal Ramchandani
Payal is a dance artist and choreographer, based in the North-East of England. She has trained rigorously in India in the South Indian classical dance style of Kuchipudi, from the best in the field and has been performing on global stage for almost 2 decades. She is amongst a handful of dancers practising this form in the UK. She has evolved her own unique vocabulary, evident in her choreographies. She now leverages her traditional repertoire and form, to voice issues that need to be discussed, not covertly but overtly. Some of Payal’s recent works include Just enough madness, The Forest dream, Once in a blue moon, Of Love and Lament. Working with different artistic disciplines and forms is at the core of Payal’s work and she strongly believes in collaborating with different artists to not only facilitate a diverse creative exchange but also encourage wider participation and engagement. Her collaborative works include Ajayu Transitorio by Yuvel Soria, Grief Floats by Nadia Iftkhar (Company of Others), Myth machine by Sahej Rahal amongst others.
Payal is a dance artist and choreographer, based in the North-East of England. She has trained rigorously in India in the South Indian classical dance style of Kuchipudi, from the best in the field and has been performing on global stage for almost 2 decades. She is amongst a handful of dancers practising this form in the UK. She has evolved her own unique vocabulary, evident in her choreographies. She now leverages her traditional repertoire and form, to voice issues that need to be discussed, not covertly but overtly. Some of Payal’s recent works include Just enough madness, The Forest dream, Once in a blue moon, Of Love and Lament. Working with different artistic disciplines and forms is at the core of Payal’s work and she strongly believes in collaborating with different artists to not only facilitate a diverse creative exchange but also encourage wider participation and engagement. Her collaborative works include Ajayu Transitorio by Yuvel Soria, Grief Floats by Nadia Iftkhar (Company of Others), Myth machine by Sahej Rahal amongst others.
