On Embodied Practice

Off the Beat Dance Podcast

In the season finale, Ameya and Kiran ponder over what embodied practice looks like for Indian dancers with special guest Dr. Yashoda Thakore. Dr. Thakore discusses how to define embodied practice, bridge academia and performance, and find meaningful ways to connect dance to the world around us. Ameya and Kiran reflect on what they have from Dr. Thakore’s brilliant conversation and throughout all six episodes to bring Season 1 to a close.

Call to Action: Dance in service to your life, your community, and the world around you.

Dive deeper:

• Jaya Senapati: Nrtta Ratnavali (2013) - translated by Drs. Pappu Venugopala Rao & Yashoda Thakore
• Yashoda Thakore: Kaivalya: Joy in Yoga and Dance (2014)
• Yashoda Thakore: Pārśvadeva - The Dancer’s Friend -Swarbharti 2020 (digest/souvenir)
• Yashoda Thakore: Her Story of Dance Podcast (2021)

About Dr. Yashoda Thakore:

Award-winning dancer, educator, researcher, and writer, Dr. Yashoda Thakore deftly balances artistry with scholarship as a Kuchipudi and Devadasi Nrityam artiste. She initially trained in Kuchipudi for 14 years under Padmasri Shoba Naidu and Padmabhushan Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her quest to explore deeper potentialities in dance led her to train with Padmabhushan Swapnasundari for some time. Quite recently, she discovered that she is part of the Kalavantulu community of hereditary women dancers who performed in the temples, courts, and salons in and around the Godaveri Delta in Andhra Pradesh. She then began learning directly from the families themselves in this region.

Dr. Thakore has successfully bridged her love for dance practice with academic research by first pursuing a Masters in Dance and then a PhD in Yoga and Dance. In 2013, Dr. Thakore, in association with Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao, published a critically-acclaimed English translation of the 13th-century text, Nritta Ratnavalli. Other publications include Kaivalya - Joy in Yoga & Dance. In 2017, she was conferred the Ugadi Puraskar by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for her incredible devotion and contribution to art.

She has travelled widely as both a performer and lecturer at many prestigious venues including: The Music Academy in Chennai, Khajuraho and Konark Festivals, The Nehru Center in London, Volos International Festival in Greece, the Center for South Asian Studies in Paris, and many others.

Instagram: @yashodathakore

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yashoda.thakore

Website: http://yashodathakore.com

Today’s episode would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of our amazing listeners as well as:

• Dr. Yashoda Thakore
• We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering
• Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo
• Daya Arts
• A special thanks to Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr.

Ameya and I would like to thank each and every one of you for listening to Off the Beat and for your amazing support and feedback so far. Ameya and I are both first-time podcasters, and this project has been a deeply fulfilling journey for both of us. We’d love to keep the conversation going so please continue to like, subscribe, and review our podcast and help spread the word about Off the Beat to your friends, family, and colleagues! Tell us what you’d like to hear in Season 2 by sharing your thoughts on our social media at @offthebeatdance on IG, FB, Twitter, and TikTok or by visiting our website at www.offthebeat.dance. Finally, please consider supporting us through Patreon at www.patreon.com/offthebeatdance with a fully tax-deductible monthly donation towards development and production costs for new episodes of Off the Beat!