By Mabel Pais

Battery Dance, one of America’s leading cultural ambassadors, connects the world through dance. In celebration of four-plus decades of artistic excellence and social relevance, it recognizes three honorees at its annual gala on May 30, 2024. 

GALA HONOREES

WHO:

Cultural Diplomacy Honorees: German Consul General David Gill and  Sheila Shrivastava

Artistic Honoree: Chun Wai Chan

WHEN:  Thursday, May 30

WHAT:  6:30 PM | Cocktails

7:30 PM | Dinner & Performance

WHERE: The Yale Club

50 Vanderbilt Ave, 20th Floor

New York, NY

DRESS:  Black tie or cocktail attire

TICKETS

To purchase tickets for the Gala, visit classy.org/event/battery-dance-gala-2024/e572736

The Battery Dance Company

The Battery Dance Company pursues artistic excellence and social relevance by creating vibrant new works, performing on the world’s stages, presenting dance in public spaces, serving the field of dance and teaching people of all ages with special attention to the disadvantaged and areas of conflict.

Battery Dance is committed to enhancing the cultural vibrancy of its home community in New York City, extending programming throughout the U.S., and building bridges worldwide through international cultural exchange with programs in 70 countries to date.

Battery Dance created the Downtown Dance Festival, an annual outdoor summer festival in 1982, to make exceptional dance available free-of-charge within its home community of lower Manhattan where it was founded in 1976. Now renamed Battery Dance Festival, it has been presented in partnership with the Battery Park City Authority since 2013. Learn more at batterydance.org.

The Battery Dance Gala 

The Battery Dance Gala is a celebration of the artistic excellence and community building that its patrons make possible. This year, Battery Dance is delighted to recognize the outstanding contributions of the company’s long-standing friends and benefactors German Consul General David Gill and Sheila Shrivastava, and artistic honoree Chun Wai Chan, New York City Ballet’s first Chinese principal dancer.

CONSUL GENERAL DAVID GILL

Consul General David Gill, German Consulate General New York. Born in 1966, Gill grew up in a protestant minister’s family in Herrnhut, Saxony, in former East Germany. He was denied a higher education by the communist regime for political reasons. Instead, he trained and worked as a plumber before joining a preparatory protestant school and later the theological seminary of the Protestant Church in Berlin Brandenburg.

In 1990, he initially was the chairman of Normannenstrasse Citizens’ Committee which oversaw the dissolution of the Ministry of State Security at the Stasi headquarters and served as the secretary of the Special Committee for the dissolution of the Stasi of the East German Parliament.

After reunification, Gill studied law in Berlin and Philadelphia. He held top positions in the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union. Since August 2017, he has been the German Consul General in New York.

SHEILA SHRIVASTAVA

Born in Scotland in 1970, Sheila Shrivastava grew up in Massachusetts with a German mother and Indian father. In 1992 she received her BA in Psychology with a Special Interest in Prison Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York City. After receiving her Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998, she moved to Berlin, Germany where she worked from 2001 until 2017 teaching History and Theory of Social Work at the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences. She has two daughters and enjoys writing and reading poetry.

CHUN WAI CHAN

Born in Guangdong, China, Mr. Chan trained at the Guangzhou Art School from 2004 to 2010. In 2010 he was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne, which earned him a full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet’s second company, Houston Ballet II. His repertory with Houston Ballet included leading roles in ballets by Stanton Welch, Ben Stevenson, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, among others. Mr. Chan is the first Chinese principal at New York City Ballet (NYCB). Chan was also a Guest Principal Dancer with Hong Kong Ballet in 2018 and 2019.

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NYIFF EVENT INSPIRES  SYMBIOSIS OF FASHION AND FILM

• By Mabel Pais

As a springboard to The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) festivities, the Festival team held an exclusive event in collaboration with Ave India Design Collective at their SoHo location on May 16. The event was a resounding success, setting the tone for what promises to be an exhilarating festival running from May 31st to June 2nd, 2024.

Renowned fashion designer Mayyur Girotra, celebrated for his exquisite bridal wear and innovative designs that blend Indian embroidery with Western silhouettes, headlined the evening with a captivating talkback session on Fashion and Film. Moderated by Shriya Bhattacharya of Business Insider, the session delved into the symbiotic relationship between fashion and cinema, and how they together enhance the narrative of Indian storytelling.

Girotra, whose designs have been adorned by numerous celebrities, including actress Aditi Rao Hydari from the hit Netflix series *Heeramandi*, Sridevi, Tabu of Bollywood and Richa Murjani in Hollywood, to name a few, shared his insights on the importance of cultural narratives. “Fashion and film are powerful mediums that convey the depth and richness of Indian culture. Through my designs, I aim to celebrate and preserve our heritage while pushing the boundaries of creativity. Indie filmmaking, in particular, offers a unique platform to showcase authentic stories that resonate on a global stage. The New York Indian Film Festival is crucial in providing such a platform, bringing diverse and meaningful narratives to a wider audience,” said Girotra.

Watch – drive.google.com/file/d/13KIAy3IbngqwKpy8k8XumIeQlluYROLv/view?usp=drive_link

The event also provided a sneak peek into the film festival’s lineup, featuring star-studded premieres, thought-provoking documentaries, and captivating shorts. Attendees were treated to an evening of networking, complemented by wine and light bites, as they discussed the upcoming films and the significance of independent cinema in promoting diverse voices.

“We are thrilled to inaugurate the 2024 New York Indian Film Festival with such an inspiring event,” said Suman Gollamudi, Executive Director of the Indo-American Arts Council. “Mayyur Girotra’s participation highlights the crucial interplay between fashion and film in celebrating our culture. The festival is dedicated to presenting the richness of Indian storytelling, and we are excited to share these compelling narratives with our audience.”

Poonam Khubani, IAAC Advisory Board member added,  “I warmly invite all of you to join us in celebrating extraordinary films shown at the NYIFF. Together, let’s champion the ascent of pioneering cinema and revel in the transformative power of storytelling.”

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, Business, and Education)