Masoom Parmar is an artist, curator and arts manager from the hereditary Langha community of musicians. Trained in the Indian “classical” dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Kathak, he has 4 full-length solo works and 2 ensemble productions to their credit. His work explores ideas of identity and belonging through the oral, literary and cultural heritage of the subcontinent and finding the secular and contemporary in these “classical” forms.

Parmar explores facets of arts management, and facilitates and teaches a course in arts management that focuses on the Indian performing arts ecosystem. His curatorial work explores the multiplicity and diversity of culture in the Indian subcontinent. He has led to two self-produced festivals: “Koi Suntā Hai – A festival of Bhakti, Nirgun & Sufi Poetry” and “The Platform,” which features emerging dancers from various genres, from an interest in the cross-cultural occurrences that have produced various art forms and seek to bring them from the margins to the centre.

Why are they the right choice for others:

• Looking at traditional art forms and unpacking their discursive parameters away from the ‘classical’ into a modern, secular space.
• Examining the cross-cultural formations of performing arts and bringing together artists in this endeavour.
• Working to make the performing arts a viable career in the modern Indian landscape in collaboration with private and corporate institutions.