Login to access your Arts Award pages

Kavya's story



Photo credit: Marko Waschke


Centre: Akademi - South Asian Dance UK, London

Akademi is an organisation that works to enhance the practice, understanding and appreciation of South Asian dance across the UK within a contemporary artistic, social and educational context.

Arts events
Kavya went to see “Wicked” the musical with her group. She was most impressed by the set design and costume but found the songs quite boring. She wrote a review of the event which provided her with an opportunity to develop her writing skills.

Arts hero
Kavya’s Arts Hero was Elvis Presley. She learnt a lot about his tumultuous life and untimely death. During the course of research about his legacy she discovered he has been incarnated as a hot sauce brand in the U.S!

Cultural links
The young people performed a musical show entitled “Urban Vani” over two nights  at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the South Bank Centre to a combined audience of 1,500 people. They were taught by Shlomo and Gauri Tripathi, SBC's Artists in Residence.

Arts apprenticeship
Kavya taught a group of 8 – 12 year olds Kathak Dance and then organised a small community show where the children had the opportunity to perform in front of their friends and family.

Learning
Kavya’s arts apprenticeship was an rewarding experience as she learnt a lot about managing children and dealing with parents. After her teacher, Gauri, saw her organisational skills she promoted her to lead a section for Urban Vani. This allowed her to take charge of a small group of children between the ages of 10-16.

“I particularly enjoyed our introduction to beatboxing, learning the basics and having battles with one another. Our teachers, Shlomo and Gauri installed a trend for creative madness which we as a group adapted to.”

“Akademi also encouraged me to write. I am planning to pursue writing with the assistance of Akademi. They have been very supportive in nurturing my ambitions so that I can extend my skills in writing for dance. I want to become a dance critic and this project has truly helped me find this calling.” Kavya, 18

“I think Kavya realised her natural ability to lead during the Arts Award project. This along with growing confidence throughout meant she found many opportunities to take on various areas of the project, motivating and managing her peers and younger ones spontaneously. She put her all and more into every part of it. Now she is an Arts Award Adviser.” Katherine Veitch, Kavya’s adviser