Sound&Movement Sanctuary

Devaki is excited to share she has received a grant from the Arts Council England in 2022,  ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’. The grant was titled Rhythm & Voice for Dance & Movement and she worked with an array of dance arists including Aaron Baksh, Nandita Shankardas, Anusha Subramanyam, Urbi Basu, Jose Agudo and Birdgang dancers. The process was documented by Playhouse Pictures.

Since 2013 Devaki has explored playing music for dancers in various projects and companies across the UK. As a multi-instrumentalist and Odissi dancer she can empathize with dancers kinaesthetically whilst allowing the music to communicate, connect, inspire and create, in various collaborations and settings. Projects she has provided music for dancers include SLiDE, an acclaimed inclusive dance company in Croydon performing at the Turf Project and Fairfield Halls;  Upswing Aerial, a leading contemporary circus company performing at The Albany with Bites: Remix and Willesden Library with a piece called Pitch; at The Bedford in Balham for the Seraphima Dance Festival; with Jaina Modasia, BBC Young Dancer finalist, for the Croydon Mela main stage; for Alchemy Festival Southbank with Bhavan Odissi dancers; at the January Blues Festival at the Old Church in Stoke Newington with contemporary dancer from Taiwan, Shao Chen Huang; at the Nehru Centre (Indian High Commission) for the Odissi Mela and a commissioned project called Manmohini; at Rambert Contemporary Dance Company with Ballet dancer Nandita Shankardas; and for the Equator Festival, commissioned by Shivanova and funded by Here for Culture with Carnatic vocalist, Anoohya Vishu. See images and videos below.    

2016 - 2018 - Devaki worked with tap dance artist Annette Walker to compose live music (Djembe and Konnakol rhythms) to Annette's tap dance choreographies and improvisations, performed at a Bites: Remix, presented by Upswing Aerial at The Albany in Deptford. In 2018 Devaki was commissioned by Upswing for a 2 week R&D with aerial artist and contemporary dancer Tamzen Moulding, to create a 1 hour performance using dance, acrobatics, physical theatre and live music. The composition received rave reviews from the hundreds of families who attended. This was the 1st time Devaki introduced the use of a loop-pedal using unconventional instruments including logs, tree stumps, sticks, bells, harmonium, percussion, voice and breath to create sonic landscapes for Tamzen's physical theatre and dance. 

2017 - The Bhavan is the UK's largest institute for Indian classical arts training and presentation. Their Odissi dance department performed at the Alchemy Festival Southbank to a capacity crowd. Devaki co-created the concept and music for Step-Drum-Rhythm where she played the Cajon, her teacher Urbi Basu, recited Konnakol and 10 dancers explored the rhythmic aspects of Odissi dance through complex steppings.