About Divija Melally
Divija Melally is a trained contemporary and Indian classical dancer, graduated from Bath Spa University, with BA (Hons) Dance, dedicated to the arts, and spreading the intricate nuances of dance through performance, teaching, choreography and therapy. She has completed a 2-year diploma in Movement Arts and Mixed Media, which focused on ballet, contemporary and martial arts, from Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, India.

 

Her creative practice revolves around exploring the amalgamation of contemporary and Indian Classical dance. She is interested in creating works that explore social and political themes, and she hopes to help the audience be more aware of the world that they live in through her art.

 

She is a part of the Sadlers Wells South Asian Dance Development programme, and received the ‘Moving With The Times’ commission from Pegasus Theatre in 2023, with a second commission in 2024. She works as a dancer with Sweetshop Revolution (I am 8’), Trigger (‘TEABREAK’) and Dam Van Huynh Company (‘Exquisite Noise’). She is a resident at ARC Stockton and Kunstlerstadt Kalbe (Germany). She wants to inform her practice further by conducting workshops for participants of different ages, needs and abilities. 

 

Class Description

The class will involve guided improvisations that explore different movement qualities, along with technical contemporary exercises that will include some basic nuances of Indian Classical dance (Bharatanatyam) and Kalaripayattu, a form of Indian martial art. Starting with more somatic-based improvisations to help tune into and listen to our bodies, the pace and energy of the class will build with movement phrases that involve floor work and some contact. We will focus on breaking boundaries between the different vocabularies of dance to find new and unique ways of moving that still champions our technical training and skill sets. 

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