A year ago, RootEd materialized out of many inspired, curious and enthusiastic conversations between Apoorva Jayaraman and Sumathi Vikram, dancers, co-founders, colleagues, and long-time friends. They were soon joined by Ashaa Vigashini, who soon became an integral part of the team, and now heads logistics and tech support. 

It has been our endeavour to create a space where dancers and non-dancers, enthusiasts and scholars, as well as beginners and the seasoned alike find something that speaks to them. We hope to be the place a mind curious about a pataka hasta turns to, as well as the ecosystem where young dance students meditate about contemporary practices in Bharatanatyam. The past year has danced past us as we choreographed ways and means to achieve this seamless balance. We are happy to share that our efforts were met with lots of love and enthusiasm, which has compelled us to keep going. Today we turn one, and in keeping with our perennial hope to continue growing, we have something exciting to share with you!

Edited by Durga Tilak, RootEd will meet you every month in your very own inboxes through a newsletter, much like this one, what we call Artling!

What might you find in the newsletter?

Do you have to know everything about Bharatanatyam? Not for one moment! This newsletter is as much for a toddler in Bharatanatyam as it is for the initiated, learned and distinguished. This is our endeavour to provoke dialogue and exchange, question and answer, and give and take across varied echelons of dance comprehension.

The newsletter will be your doorway to all of our work, latest brainstorming (and Hasta Jamming, Coddiewompling and so on and so forth), and upcoming events. But it will also be your go-to to uncover interesting, significant and thought-provoking work in the classical dance and arts community. You will get to hear from individuals from the dance space either personally (through links to video snippets and excerpts), or by way of archival material that we recommend in the month’s takeaway. 

Keep an eye out for RootEd Recommends and RootEd’s RapidReads, two tags that will lead you to the material we will be sharing with you, and also for any hyperlinks that you will spot being woven into the textual body. 

But what you can certainly look for is a wholesome, crisp and refreshing packet of Bharatanatyam centric content that will be a welcome respite to your day; an invitation to unwind for a while and join us on an expedition through the engaging alleyways of dance and rhythm. 

To stay tuned to future issues- subscribe!