The Department of Dance, at the University of Hyderabad organized its Alumni meet aptly titled “NRITYATI – Connected through dance” on the 4th of May 2023 from 11:00 AM onwards. Hosted by the current final year MPA students with the support of the faculty, the alumni meet was a semi-formal get-together that saw past students from as far back as 1993 attend the event.
The ceremonial lighting of the lamp and a short welcome address signified the start of the event. Sri Hari Mohan Paruvu (guest faculty teaching the Arts Management course in the dance department) spoke of the need for a professional approach in the arts supported by a strong sense of networking and marketing, especially for young dancers who are graduating from universities such as UoH. This was followed by a round of introductions by the alumni. It was very interesting for the current batch of students to get a glimpse into the journeys of the seniors, and their wisdom and advice was most appreciated.
The agenda of the Alumni group and the path ahead was the next point of focus. Creating a strong and supportive alumni network was agreed upon collectively as being of immense help. Some of the goals envisioned were sustained mentoring, opportunity creation, creating a strong research base, achieving of shared goals and exploring corporate and individual sponsorships to do the same. The first plan of action on the agenda was to formulate a core committee, which could help ideate, plan and execute tangible targets in the future.
To get together and discuss inroads made, the Alumni meet was unanimously agreed upon to be an annual affair. All in all, the dance alumni meet Nrityati 2023 ended on an upbeat and positive note – the atmosphere filled with laughter, bonhomie and a determination to work together – dancers for dancers and artists for artists. The meet was followed by lunch and ended by 3:00 PM.