Bala Sarasvati, Artistic Director, CORE Contemporary and Aerial Dance

Artist, director, choreographer, film maker Bala has choreographed over 150 contemporary and aerial dance pieces. Her choreography has been shown throughout the U.S. and China, and in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France and Taiwan. As Founding Artistic Director of CORE Contemporary and Aerial Dance Company, she creates experimental and interdisciplinary works, integrates aerial dance and engages in numerous collaborative ventures intersecting science, technology, social awareness and the arts. For twenty years, Bala has explored and developed the integration of contemporary dance with aerial dance (silks, slings, lyra, trapeze, bungee, nets and more). Artistic innovation and experimentation led to her interest in film integration with live dance production (backdrop, floor projection, video mapping); to explore and enlarge “3-D worlds.” This digital media projection integration was incorporated into  numerous full-evening shows (refer to baladance channel on YouTube). Bala has presented choreography at several NYC venues including Judson Church, St. Marks’ Church, Marymount Manhatten Theater, Dixon Place, Dance Theatre Workshop. She was selected to present at Seattle Bumbershoot Art Festivals, Seattle, WA; Piccolo Spoleto Festivals,Charleston, SC, the Beijing International Arts Festival in China and the Kaohsiung Culture Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

 

Bala has presented choreography at National Dance Association's regional and national gala performances, National Society for Literature and Science conferences, World Dance Alliance - Americas International, Oficina Gratuita Internacional Danca Contemporanea," Centro Coreographafico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Le Centre National a la danse, Paris, France, Teatro de la Danza, San Jose Costa Rica, Chengdu Municipal Convention Center and Arts Theater (two performances; televised) and other major venues throughout China. Shakti-The Force of Destiny, one of the many interactive computer and dance projects, was presented as a Cultural Olympiad Event during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and screen dances for the Quinto Festival International Video Danza, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Numerous digital films have been presented in her choreographic presentations and full-evening shows.

 

Bala holds B.S. and B.F.A. degrees from the University of Utah, M.A. and M.F.A dance degrees from The Ohio State University and is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) from LIMS, NYC where she taught for seven years - specializing in the application of somatic movement theory to dance training and performance. Formerly, Jane Willson Professor in Arts at the The University of Georgia Department of Dance. She taught contemporary technique, composition, improvisation, movement analysis, aerial yoga trapeze and concert production and served as head of Dance 1998-1999 and 2000-2006. She serves on the faculty for the Universidad Nacional Graduate Program in Dance, Heredia, Costa Rica (2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019 and 2021) and has served on the faculty for the José Limón Dance Institute, NYC, the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, NYC, Dance Education Lab (DEL) Summer Institute, NYC, Queens College, NY and Seattle Dance Centre. Her dance training approach has been presented at the several Laban conferences including El Contro Laban (2008) and Global Laban (2022) in Rio de Janeiro; International Council Kinetography Laban, Laban Centre, London; Laban International, NYC (2018); numerous professional dance conferences (such as NDEO, World Dance Congress, World Dance Alliance - Americas and Aisan and Pacific; served as guest artist for numerous universities and instructor for summer dance intensive programs. She has served on the board for the National College Dance Association (ACDA); charter member and 20 years on the steering committee for UGA Ideas for Creative Exploration (UGA Arts Collaborative); UGA Willson Center for Humanities and Arts;  US-China Cultural and Educational Foundation; and continues to serve on Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, NYC. Bala is a certified Yoga Trapeze teacher by YOGABODY Naturals, served as a teacher trainer with Lucas Rockwood and Camilo Carreiro and hosted five certification programs at UGA.

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Bala's integrated aerial dance training and production was featured in DANCE TEACHER magazine: Bala Sarasvati Sends Students Soaring at the University of Georgia (2017).

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Bala is an inspired teacher in the highest sense. She is a loving and generous teacher who offers

a unique dance method. Her training is continually evolving and changing. . ..When I attended

Bala's technique class I realized that I was in the presence of some one who had a solid back

ground; she is an expert of movement, an explorer who, worked very deep into the essence of

motion. Today she has found her own style, which shows her teaching with clarity, intelligence,

and precision. Bala is a master of creative movement, a teacher who has the capacity to

articulate, dance sequences with, dynamics, harmony and inventive. She definitely touches

people’s hearts and souls. This understanding comes when one unites power and love"

 

Carlos Orta (25-year veteran of the Jose Limon Dance Company and Artistic Director, COREOARTE, Caracas, Venezuela)