About Dance Namaste
DanceNamaste is about people and dance. It is a about working with diverse communities and making connections. Charan Pradhan offers everybody the chance to explore expression through personal dance movement, to watch exquisite dance and to learn elaborate techniques of Asian dance forms. Based in Edinburgh, Charan works throughout Scotland and the UK. He continues to contribute to the development of dance in Nepal, pioneering disability dance and climate change awareness through dance.
The name DanceNamaste symbolises East meeting West and the influence of cultures around the world. In Asia the word for dance includes acting/expression as well as rhythmic movement. Namaste means to greet the god within (from the Sanskrit namo stuti).
Dance Namaste aims:
- To develop the confidence and ability of people who want to express themselves through dance.
- To help people find joy and beauty in movement and connect to themselves and others more deeply.
- To help people to increase awareness of themselves physically and emotionally through dance and become more centered in life generally.
- To increase people’s awareness of human and ecological issues affecting everyday lives, such as disability and climate change.
- To share Nepalese and other Asian dance forms with people in the West.
- To collaborate with other artists and explore what may emerge.
DanceNamaste offers regular classes and one-off workshops for Nepalese folk dance, Buddhist ritual dance and Bollywood dance. Charan leads the Interactive Creative Dance Movement and Integrated Dance sessions for people of all abilities and all ages. He works in schools, community centers, hospitals, nurseries, colleges, universities, parties, clubs and festivals. Charan leads technical classes for professional dancers in Nepalese folk and classical dance techniques.
Charan performs a range of traditional dances selected from the great diversity of ethnic groups of Nepal. The audience can enjoy folk dances from the plains, mid hills and high Himalaya. They can be entranced by performance of sacred Buddhist ritual dance, and can be thrilled by the exuberance of Bollywood dance. Charan performs fusion pieces with Western contemporary and Asian classical dance forms.
Charan choreographs for a range of work and loves to collaborate with artists working with all art forms.
Charan Pradhan is a dance artist from Nepal specialising in the therapeutic use of dance. Charan has over 30 years of experience performing, choreographing and teaching. He is experienced in working with many different people in diverse situations. He has worked with professionals and amateurs, on TV, in theatres, in schools and on the street. He has worked with all ages and abilities including under 5’s, senior citizens, youth, people who need additional support including young people with challenging behaviour, people with autism, Down’s syndrome, physical disability, mental health problems, and complex additional support needs. He also works to preserve and extend the unique dance culture of Nepal, to make it valuable and relevant today for everyone.
“I see dance as both an art form and a means of creating connections between people. In performance I engage the audience intimately. As a teacher and choreographer I have worked with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, including those with learning difficulties. I believe dance to be therapeutic and I firmly believe that everyone can dance. Dance allows people to express what they cannot say with words. Dance connects people at a deeper level. In my work I aim to ensure that dance is for all.”