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Of her dance show "Move beyond the ordinary,” staged on March 27, 2022 at repurposed warehouse and performance venue for contemporary arts G5a in Bombay, choreographer and dancer Pia Sutaria says that "after an extremely challenging time for the arts and education (courtesy the pandemic), I am so proud to say my students have emerged resilient, and with a greater passion for their craft.”  Curated with her dance partner Arjun Menon, the show was open to invitees only. "We had 200 people attend over two shows,” Sutaria told Parsiana. The program showcased a series of works by international and Indian choreographers, performed by the students of the Sutaria-founded Institute of Classical and Modern Dance (ICMD) and featured ballet, jazz, show tunes and Kathak, among others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A note from the Institute mentioned that Sutaria performed a classical ballet duet titled "Hija Mia” choreographed by Israeli-American choreographer Yehuda Ma’or, with Menon. Parsiana shared the video with renowned New York based choreographer and danseuse Uttara Asha Coorlawala, dance professor at Barnard College, Columbia University and curator for Erasing Borders Dance Festival, who observed that she found the duet "quite beautiful.” She appreciated that the lyrical balletic style was "very well executed… Both dancers have good technique and movement quality… good to see that this is happening in Bombay!”
Sutaria founded ICMD in 2018 "to fill the void of a vocational education for dance and performing arts in India… My twin sister (actor Tara Sutaria) and I were exposed to the world of performing arts before we could string a sentence together,” she reminisced. It started off with the tots tagging along with their mother Tina to choir practices, listening to their father’s (Himanshu) classical music in the car, "which eventually led to us pursuing dance and music quite seriously.” The siblings "realized that our training was scattered, as the only access to performing arts education in Bombay was to do it as a hobby.” ICMD aims to bridge that gap by equipping students with dance training in an integrated, holistic and intensive manner, stated Pia. The Institute’s students have been accepted to The Juilliard School, Paris Marais Dance School, and Joffrey Ballet School among others, the 27-year-old informed us.
A graduate of the Professional Dancer’s Teaching Diploma from the Royal Academy of Dance, Pia has studied at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), London. She is a recipient of the Disney Theatrical Productions Scholarship, notes her curriculum vitae. Having performed internationally and in India for over a decade, she is also currently the ballet master for a one-year professional program at Shiamak Davar’s dance institute.
"At 24, three years after starting ICMD, with the support of all my students and their families, and my own family, I decided to move to London mid-pandemic, to pursue a full time education on a full scholarship with the RAM, whilst also running my school remotely… It has been a life-changing experience, which has allowed me to be a better teacher and mentor to my students,” Sutaria narrated. Having performed "in multiple concerts during my time at RAM,” she was offered representation by musical theater agency Cowley Knox and Guy to work professionally in the UK as a musical theater performer. "I have been auditioning for West End shows over the past few months,” she gushed.
In an interview with Parsiana ("Trills and twirls,” March 7, 2013) Sutaria had stated, "We have no power to choose where we come from but we do have the power to go where we want to. I hope everyone pursues and chooses their passion.”                                              F. J.