Transforming Steps: February 2012

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Three More Girls To Perform in London

Dear Friends,
We are happy to inform you that we have reached our goal! We successfully raised $5,000 to fly three more of our dancers to London to perform in the Sadler's Wells Connect Festival, 2012.

We want to personally thank all of our supporters. Special mention goes to those who gave at the Energize Level and above through our Indiegogo campaign.

Calpana & Atul Arya , Michele Baer , Sally Davies, Shivonne Dubarry, Ashley Dutta, Micki Estuesta, Kate Huckabay, Karen Kealoha, Jane Kelso, Hemanto Mukherjee, Ramona Mukherjee, Shreya Sanghani, Aditya Sarkar, Samrat Sengupta.

Thank you for standing against exploitation.

“The mission and continued achievements of Sohini and the Kolkata Sanved team are such an inspiration! To fight trafficking while also promoting empowerment with each step is an immeasurably worthy cause. I am sending much love and prayers that you exceed your goal, and ultimately bring this world closer to being free of violence and oppression. “ - Ramona Mukherjee

“As a total believer in the power of the arts for social change and the transformative work of Kolkata Sanved, I wholeheartedly support this effort and send my best to all the dancers and other people involved in this project.” - Michele Baer

Monday, February 20, 2012

Connect Festival 2012- Body of Knowledge

In the middle of this starkness I suddenly found some color. That color was dance. Buoyed by the rhythm of dance, I have discovered a new language in my body. I have discovered the ineffable taste of life.

- Kolkata Sanved dancer

Tickets are now available to the Connect Festival, March 22nd and 23rd, which features Transforming Steps, the ambitious project raising awareness of human trafficking.

Uniting Sadler's Wells Theater, the Jasmin Vardimon Company, Living Lens and Kolkata Sanved, Transforming Steps will bring international awareness to human trafficking in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London through innovative and unique choreography. The Connect Festival will be held in the Lilian Baylis Studio, London.

To learn more about the event and how to purchase tickets, click here.

The Dancers of Transforming Steps

The Kolkata Sanved dancers will perform unique choreography as part of a dance and video awareness raising initiative entitled Transforming Steps. Through Transforming Steps and the larger campaign, Stand with Survivors of Sex Trafficking, Stand Against Exploitation, the dancers will open themselves to the rich experience of travel and to a deeper understanding of the power of dance to transcend cultural barriers. As inspiring role models and human rights advocates, performing in London will broaden the dancer's scope of contemporary choreography and enhance their skills as dance movement therapy trainers working in Kolkata, India.