ABOUT THE COMPANY

Project Convergence is an American dance company that is home to the union of the Bharatanatyam and American tap dance. The company is bi-costal with home bases in New York City and Seattle. Lauded by both the New York Times and The Hindu, the company presents an experience simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar to audiences by uniting Indian and African-American cultures in the universal language of rhythm. In doing so, they show how two cultures can be united seamlessly without erasing the unique identity of either. The company’s creative team has experience across American classics such as STOMP and 42nd Street, and Indian staples such as Mystic India: The World Tour and Chennai’s Marghazi Festival. The company has been featured in The Guardian,WNYC (New York Public Radio), and The Dance Enthusiast. They have appeared at many high-profile events, including the Indo-American Art Council’s Erasing Borders Dance Festival at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Series, and a United Nations private event at the Houston Texan’s NRG Stadium. It’s work is supported by residencies at the American Tap Dance Foundation and Premiere Dance Center. Excerpts of their show Taalam (Rhythm) have played to a sold out 5,000 person audience at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center and the Citigroup Theatre at Alvin Ailey.

MISSION

The goal of Project Convergence is two-fold: First to grow the appreciation and support for percussive dance forms through performance, teaching, and community engagement. Second, to educate audiences on the systematic barriers erected against non-white (i.e. “cultural’) percussive dance forms in the United States, and create spaces for these art forms to thrive and grow.

Notable performance experience

CREATIVE TEAM

Vikas Arun (DIRECTOR, FOUNDER) is a multi-disciplinary creator and performer from Seattle, WA specializing in multiple forms of Western and Indian rhythmic and percussive dance. He is the first South Asian to be sponsored by the dancewear giant Capezio, to receive a residency at the historic American Tap Dance Foundation, and to perform in the worldwide sensation STOMP. His career has spanned multiple parts of the industry, including TV (NFL Houston Texans Halftime, Good Morning America, So You Think You Can Dance), commercials (J. Crew, Vogue), live theater (STOMP, Mystic India, 42nd Street), and high-profile private events (United Nations, US-India International Forum, CitiBank, Reebok). For more info visit: www.vikasarun.com

Apoorva Natarajan (DIRECTOR) was initiated into dance at the young age of 5 under Guru Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant. Through her 20 years in dance Apoorva has sought to develop a varied and complex body of work with traditional and historic Bharatanatyam and contemporary work, occasionally with stylistic influences from Yoga, Indian Folk, Modern, and Jazz dance. With the privilege of great guidance, Apoorva seeks to embody the clear Angashuddhi, split second tala (beat) precision, dynamic footwork, and nuanced "grammatical" abhinaya (expressions) that are the hallmarks of Guru Ananda. She has performed at various locations in the US and India, done both solo and collaborative work and is an active choreographer and teacher. She also trains in South Indian Classical Music and has a distinction in the certificate course in Carnatic Music from Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad.

Ramita Ravi (STEERING, FOUNDER) is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in NYC. Raised in Pittsburgh, she grew up training and competing in styles ranging from contemporary and tap to Classical Indian Dance. She recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Health & Societies and Education Policy. Upon graduation, she pivoted from her academic path to pursue dance full-time. Currently signed with Clear Talent Group, highlights of her career include SYTYCD, Viceland, NOWThis, Lincoln Center, ClassPass Live and more. Most recently, she toured with Mystic India: The World Tour. As a choreographer and producer, she has set work for Buzzfeed, Spotify, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has also taught guest classes at Broadway Dance Center, Columbia University, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and more. For more info visit: www.ramitaravi.com