BOSTON DANCE ALLIANCE HONORS NEENA GULATI 

2016 Dr. Michael Shannon Dance Champion Celebrated at Gala April 21 

Boston Dance Alliance, the independent organization that supports dance across the Boston metropolitan area by identifying and creating shared resources, information, and productive partnerships, has named Neena Gulati its 2016 Dr. Michael Shannon Dance Champion. This award, created in 2004, recognizes those who have made important and lasting contributions to the dance landscape in Boston. 

Ms. Gulati will be honored at the organization’s annual spring gala at The Sanctuary Theatre in Harvard Square on April 21, 2016 from 6-9 p.m., in an event which will include a brief performance by students from the Triveni School of Dance which Ms. Gulati established in 1971. http://www.bostondancealliance.org/our-community/bda-gala/ 

Born in New Delhi, India and beginning her dance training in the classical Indian form of bharatanatyam at the age of 4, Neena Gulati pioneered the teaching of classical Indian dance forms in the Boston area. The Triveni School of Dance trains over 250 dancers every week in three classical Indian forms bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, and odissi and is dedicated to social awareness and the celebration of cultural diversity. The Triveni Ensemble regularly performs benefits for charities, with its April performance of Rakshasi – An Exploration of the Demoness slated to raise funds for earthquake disaster relief through The American Nepal Medical Foundation. 

An anonymous nomination recommending her for this signal honor noted “At Triveni, Neena Gulati takes traditional pieces and re-choreographs them with a contemporary aesthetic, producing a fusion that entrances both Indians and Americans and allows them to explore wisdom held in the ancient scriptures.” 

On this year’s program, Boston Dance Alliance also inaugurates its Unsung Hero Award recognizing an individual who has contributed to the vitality of Boston dance from behind the scenes. The inaugural honoree is the late J. Allen Collier of the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and Boston Youth Moves. Rounding out the program will be brief performances by 2015 Boston Dance Alliance Rehearsal and Retreat fellows Aparna Sindhoor of Navarasa Dance Theater, whose work draws on classical Indian dance, storytelling, and contemporary theatrical traditions, and by Dance Complex Executive Director Peter DiMuro of Public Displays of Motion. This special Boston Dance Alliance gala includes drinks, delicious food, and an auction to “Raise the Floor” in a new program that will supply the Boston Public Schools with access to BDA’s special portable dance floor free of charge. 

Gala tickets range from VIP Table for 6 $600 ($510 tax deductible donation) to $60 tickets ($45 tax deductible) for Boston Dance Alliance members. 

BOSTON DANCE ALLIANCE builds capacity for dance by identifying and creating shared resources, information, and productive partnerships to help dance flourish across the Boston metropolitan area and New England region. We are an independent service organization representing dancers, choreographers, teachers, presenters, allied arts and cultural professionals, arts journalists and scholars, wellness and health providers, and dance enthusiasts brought together across dance genres and geographies. BDA strives to increase cultural equity and access to dance for diverse communities, build dance audiences, and promote quality and sustainability. 

Boston Dance Alliance’s services to our members and the broader dance community include a rentable, portable sprung wood floor, enabling dancers to present their work safely in any setting; an annual Dancewear Lottery that provides shoes and clothing to financially disadvantaged dancers; an annual Open Call Audition that attracts more than 100 dancers across a variety of genres; fiscal sponsorship so that unincorporated companies and dance projects can accept tax-deductible donations to support their work; the BDA Rehearsal and Retreat Fellowship; access to a high-quality HD video camera so that artists can document their work; professional development consulting and workshops; information and advocacy for dancers with disabilities; and regular discounts to performances, classes, workshops, dancewear, health and wellness services and more. 

Acting as advocates for dance at the local, regional, and national level, Boston Dance Alliance encourages the dance community in turn to advocate for important cultural initiatives. Boston Dance Alliance is a proud member of MASSCreative, advocating for arts and culture across the Commonwealth.