Preeti Vasudevan, Artistic Director, Thresh

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www.threshdance.org and www.dancingforthegods.org

Choreographer and artistic ambassador Preeti Vasudevan bridges cultures, continents and centuries as easily as other dancers might execute a plie. The original works performed by her New York City-based dance troupe, Thresh, have earned international acclaim for their fresh juxtaposition of traditional dance forms from her native India with modern theories of movement and expression. And now, she’s connecting Eastern and Western perspectives through an interactive educational initiative that includes a research and development center in Chennai, India and the Web site, www.dancingforthegods.org, which is a comprehensive online resource for the traditional Indian technique of Bharatanatyam.

Having begun training in Bharatanatyam at the age of four-and-a-half and studied modern dance in New York City, Japan and London, Preeti exemplifies a new kind of artist and entrepreneur who mixes and matches a plethora of international ideas and experiences in all new ways. Since forming Thresh in 2004, Preeti has channeled her struggle to define her artistic and cultural identity into work that has garnered acclaim in the international dance community. In March 2009, her stage production, “The Absent Lover,” which she adapted from a fifth-century Indian play, “Vikramorvashiyam,” was one of 10 finalists chosen from 209 productions to be performed at the prestigious META Awards in New Delhi. The production won three awards, including best choreography.

As passionate about teaching as she is about performing, Preeti found herself longing to reach more dance students and educators than she was able to with her individual workshops. She and her husband spent two years in India gathering resources related to Bharatanatyam. The resulting Web site and DVD-Rom is the first step in what Preeti envisions as an ongoing dialogue between India and the U.S. and includes a curriculum for teaching Indian dance in American schools, which she developed in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education. Preeti will spread her message even further when she presents a workshop at the National Dance Education Organization’s annual meeting this June.

Having already distinguished herself as a visionary artist, educator and entrepreneur, Preeti clearly has a few lessons to teach others about the importance of balance, and not only when it comes to the art of dance.

What we learned from Preeti: “Routine is very important. So you think, ‘So many hours a day, I dedicate to this, and no more.’ You have to learn to say, ‘No,’ more. And you have to learn how to say, ‘Stop,’ and, ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t do it today. That’s it.’”

Deciding Where to Hang Out Your Shingle

“I’ve always felt that…when you are embarking on your business, and for me, it’s the art business, you need to be right in the thick of it all, because you’re constantly bombarded by great creativity. There are few cities like that in the world, and for dance, basically, it’s New York City.”

Not Indian Enough

“I went to a very established dance management company in New York. They looked at my work and said, ‘It’s really good.’ I thought, ‘Oh great, I’ve got myself an agent.’ But they said, ‘We can’t take you on.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ And they said, ‘Well, you’re not Indian enough, and we already have an Indian company.’ And I said, ‘Do you say that to American companies? I’ve already got an American company.’”

Don’t Box Me In

“Presenters and organizers need to find that box they can define you by, so that they can market you. I said, ‘I’m not part of the Diaspora. I’m not doing fusion. I’m not prettily playing with Indian movement. I’m actually doing new work.” That wasn’t enough. That was really one of my major struggles.”

Learning to Think Like a Company

“Once you decide to form a company, the level of engagement is completely different…You’re not just looking to see if you want to make a new dance. That should have been taken care of awhile ago…You have a very kind of focused vision as to what your company is going to achieve, and how you differentiate between you, your work, and others, which is an ongoing process.”

Serve the Work, Not the Company

“We’re a very low-key, hire-oneself, fire-oneself kind of company, where we’re keeping the logistics and expenditures to a basic minimum, so that the work can get moving. So, when we bring people in, artistically or otherwise, they come in more on a project basis. It’s a very project-based company so far. Eventually, I’d like to set up a core team of permanent members, but right now, they come according to projects.”

Creating Time

“I think the key words are time management. If you can train yourself to be disciplined on the non-artistic, non-creative side, then you can get a lot of work done. But if you don’t, then it can affect your creativity, because your time is haphazard.”

Know When to Hold ‘Em

“I could have done this grant, but it would have been a very bad grant, so instead, I said, ‘I didn’t prepare enough, so I can’t do it this year.’ And I just let it go. It’s been very good….It helps you focus on the projects that you want to do. When you talk to people, you’re a lot more focused and a lot more passionate, and you’re not all over the shop.”

An Artist in Training

“Training never stops. I still continue to train in different ways — I feel, at this stage in my life, I need a particular kind of training. Five years ago, I was looking for something else — just so you don’t become stagnant. And you must also be very open to what’s happening. You continue evolving with the society. You don’t just get locked in a particular kind of time bubble.”

Bridging the Gap

“The ultimate goal, which we are slowly developing right now, is to build a bridge between India and the U.S. to do with technology and movement education. So, we’re building that large bridge now.”

The Role of the Artist

“What is the issue today that people have? It’s communication — global communication and cultural communication — and I feel that the performing arts plays a huge role in trying to bridge that.”

This Featured Lady was profiled by Sarah Tomlinson, a freelance writer in Los Angeles.

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