My name is Anand Dhanakoti. I come from a very humble background. As a young boy I lived in a slum in Bangalore and from the age of eight to thirteen, I was forced into child labor to support my family by working at mechanic shops, hotels, cutting tender coconuts on the streets, and rag-picking. I am now a professional contemporary dancer.

This crowdfunding campaign is to raise funds for something that will change my life and make my dreams come true.

I have been accepted and given admission to pursue a degree in a three-year vocational dance diploma course at the Contemporary Dance School in Hamburg, Germany starting AUG 2018.This is a dream come true for me. However, I do not have the necessary funds and would like to seek your support to raise the same. I need to raise INR 9.5L for the entire cost of the first 12 months of the course. I have got a 50% scholarship for the Fee and these costs are NETT of that. Please support my campaign by funding it and spreading the word.

Upon completion of the course and my return to India, I am determined to continue my professional development in dance and to educate the Indian youth in dance and movement expression.

This is me as a contemporary dancer

MY STORY:

I have lived in a slum all my life and from the age of eight to thirteen, I was forced to labor as a child by supporting my family by working at mechanic shops, working at hotels, cutting tender coconuts on the streets, and rag-picking. However, my life drastically changed when I was taken to an NGO called the Bornfree Art School and given the gift of literacy and art education. I was introduced to the world of arts; I learned dance, music, painting, photography, filming, sculpting and theatre. At the time, these art forms were the tools of transition from the streets to formal education for me. Among these art forms, dance was the one which has profoundly inspired and empowered me; it has taught me the importance and meaning of life. Therefore, I decided to take up dance as a profession at the age of seventeen.

I have been trained in classical ballet and jazz with Yana Lewis, the Artistic Director of the Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet in Bengaluru, for the past 10 years. At the foundation, I received a full scholarship, and have been part of various shows together with the company. I have physically and mentally strengthened myself not only through dance, but also by practicing gymnastics, swimming, kalaripayattu (Indian martial arts), fire dance and puppet acts.

Meanwhile, I have also successfully completed a BA degree in economics, political science and sociology from the St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. I have done all my schooling through scholarships and some meagre savings.

Social contribution :

Since my childhood, and especially at BornFree Arts, I have been educated and made aware of various social and political issues such as child labor, farmers’ suicides, gender and caste discrimination.

I am a co-founder and senior faculty member at Shrushti, a Bangalore-based NGO working with underprivileged children. We hold workshops in dance, theatre, painting, and music, creating an opportunity for the children to continue their education in various NGOs around the city at the end of the workshop. We have also held workshops in collaboration with UNICEF with child soldiers in Chhattisgarh, and with children from the Warli tribe in Maharashtra. On the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border, we have held arts workshops in education through entertainment to inspire the children to continue their education.

Profession :

In addition to my social work, I have performed as a dancer at various arts festivals and cultural events, including most recently the Asia Athletic Championship in Orissa in 2017, the KINTSUGI Fococo3 event in Bangalore in 2017, and at the Attakalari India Biennial 2017. I also participated in the Prakriti Foundation biennial event in Chennai 2017, winning the Prakriti Excellence in Contemporary dance award together with my team, enabling us to travel to 9 cities around India to perform. In addition, I have been part of in a UK-India Livestream Project, performed at an Indo-German Mela as a stilt walker, and at various other theatre and dance shows. After my graduation, I will be certified full-time professional dancer and dance educator, and will be able to continue my work here in India.

Future plans :

From 2018 to 2020, I will attend the Contemporary Dance School Hamburg, Germany, and develop my artistic skills. After graduating, I would like to work as a freelance dancer abroad to gain more experience through the international dance community. I would like to gain management skills, importantly on how to run a dance school. After working abroad, I would like to come back to India and start a dance school in Mysore or Coimbatore. India needs more professional-career oriented dance schools and colleges. Therefore, my dream is to start one. I would like to conduct outreach programs, providing therapeutic dance for underprivileged children (juveniles and substance abused victims) and communities in slums and tribal communities.

COSTS

I was awarded a scholarship by the college where I have been accepted. However, this scholarship supports only 50% of my education fees. What I need to be supported with is;

• 50% of education fees X 3 years
• Travel costs (to and from the college)
• Visa expenses
• Food and Accommodation

I plan to work during my stay in Germany in order to supplement any funding I receive. There may be opportunities to work at the college.

ABOUT CDSH - THE COLLEGE & ITS LOCATION: