Image: Jaivant Patel in Yaatra © Matthew Cawrey
Our CEO & Principal Sharon Watson interviews alumnus Jaivant Patel - independent dance artist, cultural producer and creative consultant.
In this interview Jaivant speaks about his journey to date and and how his identity as a gay British Indian man shapes his work – a fusion of dance forms Kathak and Contemporary that aims to increase the visibility of South Asian LGBTQ+ narratives.
Jaivant began his journey at NSCD on the Foundation course, before progressing to the BA programme, graduating in 2004. On leaving NSCD, Jaivant was successful in securing his first Arts Council grant for an independent project before going into arts administration roles, helping to produce work for others. It wasn’t until 2012 that Jaivant felt a need to make again, creating short solo works and fully exploring his interest in classical South Asian dance forms, drawing connections to his contemporary training and his identity as an individual living in contemporary Britain today.
Jaivant describes how his education enabled him to start discovering who he is as an artist. We hear about the individuals who’ve influenced him and the challenges he’s encountered along the way in developing and sharing his work.
