Generation 21

This week we sit down with each other! We talk about our musical journeys, how we came trainees at SAA-uk, reflecting on what we learned from the podcast, and we talk about our respective projects at SAA-uk.

This week we sit down with kathak dancer and choreographer, Mitul Sengupta. We talk about her gruelling training as a child, the connection between psychology and dance, and her recent collaboration with Phoenix Dance Theatre on a production called Black Waters.

This week we sit down with dancer and Artistic Director of the Geraldine Connor Foundation, Selina McGonagle. She tells us about making the shift from dancer to arts leader, bringing ballet to thousands of children, the DO NOTS for young artists when marketing themselves, and what needs to be done to preserve the arts for the next generation.

This week we sit down with award winning composer and rabab player, Qais Essar. We talk about the origins of the rabab, the difference in performance technique between the rabab and sarod, winning the Canadian Screen Award for his original song ‘The Crown Sleeps’, and the Eastern and Western influences on his latest EP, Letters to my Best Friend.

This week we sit down with multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer Vijay Venkat. We talk about the number of instruments he plays (more than 10, Mohammed counted), wanting to become a professional tennis player, performing three hour concerts without a break, the importance of lineage in Indian classical music, and the differences between Carnatic and Hindustani music. Episode 2 Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/2KtOJ8H

In our first episode we sit down with Chief Executive and Artistic Director of South Asian Arts-uk (SAA-uk) Keranjeet Kaur Virdee, who tells us how she went from making clothes for Princess Anne to Artistic Director, why she feels the arts sector is still not diverse enough, and how that (and thinking about getting run over by busses) led to the ‘Generation 21’ training programme Ep 1 Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/2VTAtLY

What is a raag? Are Indian Classical concerts really 90% improvised? How do I make it as an artist/arts leader? These are the questions we as early-career arts leaders put to people in the industry from Indian classical music, dance, theatre, and film. Join us as we demystify the arts world and share our experiences along the way!