Raka Maitra is a dancer who denies classifications of classical or contemporary. Her exploration of Asian culture is through her language of contemporary Indian dance; the creation of movements inspired from martial arts and stylized dance forms. A disciple of Odissi dancer Madhavi Mudgal, Raka Maitra’s training also includes intensive studies in Serraikella Chhau under Guru Sashadhar Acharya. With great courage, and perhaps audacity, Raka has stepped outside safe boundaries and blurred the lines of tradition in such critically acclaimed works as Boundaries, Dreams and Beyond (2008), In Mira (2008) and Circular Ruins (2009).
She is currently based in Singapore where she co-founded The Graey Festival in 2007 to further the dimensions of Indian contemporary dance. Her work with dancers from Hong Kong and Indonesia has led to expanding the focus of this festival to contemporary Asian performance practices.
Kiran brings his interest in dance and design together in creating the print and web media for the Graey Festival this year. While training in Odissi and Kathak for the past three years, he has also presented his choreography at the Graey Festival in 2007, and at the NUS Arts Festival in 2009 and 2010. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong.
Gayathri is an undergraduate student at Singapore Management University pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Business Management. Gayathri started her Odissi training under Raka. She brings her deep interest in design and liaising with people to the Graey Festival Publicity Team.
Megha began her training in Odissi one year ago at Chowk. Having a keen interest in dance, she had been actively involved with NUS Indian Dance (a member of NUS Center For the Arts) as a Bharatanatyam dancer. Drawing on her current marketing role in the leading pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline, Megha spearheads the marketing efforts for this year’s Graey Festival.
Having been a part of the festival since 2008, Meera brings her interest in dance and in meeting new people to her role as liaison. She started her Odissi training under Raka three years ago, and has since assisted Raka in liaising with artists for the Graey Festival 2008 as well as during Odissi masterclasses by invited international artists at Chowk. She is also an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer, performing regularly in the works of Mrs.Santha Bhaskar for NUS Center For the Arts.
Soumee is a banker by profession and a dancer by passion. She has been trained in Kathak over 18 years and is an accomplished Odissi dancer choreographer, performing in festivals at Singapore & India and currently training under Raka. As an Assistance Vice President in a global bank and with her MBA degree, Soumee will be managing the finances and projects for Greay Festival.