Venaska (Dr Venaska Cheliah) comes from a Bharatanatyam traditional Indian dance background and is also trained in contemporary Indian Styles. She has found an additional Western contemporary dance voice through her work with Tracks. In 2014 Venaska graduated in her Arangetram, her debut on-stage performance as a student of Indian classical dance and music. She was invited to perform for the opening of Sydney Dance Company’s season in Darwin.

Throughout her time with Tracks, Venaska has performed in our major shows, choreographed, completed the Choreographic Development Course, presented as a youth leader at the Cultural Mapping forums, taught dance classes, been part of the Space Time Studio Residency Program.

Over the last few years, Venaska has stepped into the independent arts space and has been using the themes from her Bharatanatyam training and Hinduism culture, and collaboration, as a catalyst to create a sustainable performance practice that explores contemporaneity in ways that are not traditional.

Tracks works Venaska has been involved in:

2011 Crocodile Man Pineapple Woman
2012 Eight to Eighty - the Architecture of Age
2013 Cultural Mapping Project
2013 Zombies in the Banyan Tree
2014 Double Exposure - Choreographic Program
2014 Dance in Cool Spaces
2014 You Dance Funny
2015 Last Light Choreographer
2015 Mentored teaching program
2016 Dirt - Choreographic Program
2016 Tracks Committee of Management
2016 Space Time Studio Resident
2018 In Your Blood Choreographer, dancer
2019 Global Positioning Dancer
2020 Homebodies Choreographer Dancer
2021 Seasons of Skin and Bark Dancer
2022 Fresh Tracks Choreographer
2022 The Gift Dancer
2023 Space Time Studio Residency
2023 Choreolab 102 - Extend
2023 New Light Archies 100 Choreographer Dancer

“I come from a traditional Indian background I am trying to find my western contemporary style and how that sits in my body”
"[Tracks] has given me a safe space to explore my current dance style and interest as well as a safe space to develop my improvisation skills."

 

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