Shobana Jeyasingh, born in Chennai and trained in bharatanatyam, went to London and started her dance company there in 1988, becoming one of the UK’s pioneers in contemporary choreography. In 2010, with the British Council, the company came to India for the very first time, enchanting audiences with a very urban approach to dance, but still drawing on Indian influences. But the most important part of the visit didn’t happen on the stage: Shobana used the trip to explore new networks, talk to exciting artists, and plot new collaborations – much of which is set to come to fruition with a full-scale new work with Indian visual artists in 2013.

This spirit of curiosity drives much of the British Council’s work in dance: both the National Dance Company of Wales and Scottish Dance Theatre came to India in 2010 on networking visits with nothing but an open and inquisitive mind: but that led to relationships with Indian companies, which are set to lead to exchanges and tours in both the UK and India in 2011 and 2012. It's amazing how far a little curiosity can get you.

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