Artist duo from city to lead masterclass at Amsterdam’s Cinedans film fete

Trans media artist Ashavari Majumdar and filmmaker Abhyuday Khaitan will lead a masterclass on Indian dance-filmmaking at Cinedans Fest.

City-based trans media artist Ashavari Majumdar, alongside Abhyuday Khaitan, filmmaker who are co-curators of the ‘Manifest Dance-Film Festival’, will lead a masterclass on Indian dance-filmmaking at the prestigious Cinedans Fest at Amsterdam’s Eye Film Museum, on Friday (March 27, 2026).

The ‘Yoga of Dance and Film’ session will seek to introduce participants to the Indian context of the evolving language of dance-films and also look closely at Indian dance on screen, examining how choreographic logic informs cinematic choices, such as framing and camera movement, and how the camera can respond to, and be shaped by, the dance itself.

Drawing from their artistic practice of directing, choreographing, and producing dance films rooted in Indian dance traditions, the duo will share their inspirations, methods, and approaches to visual storytelling.

Ms. Majumdar, a trans-media artist working with image, movement, and text as well as a trained Kathak exponent, has received scholarships in both dance and academics from premier Indian and American institutions. Her work spans classical dance as well as interdisciplinary practices at the intersections of theatre, video, and photography, and many of her projects presented at leading dance and film festivals, as well as off-grid venues across India and internationally.

Mr. Khaitan, who studied film in India and the UK, has worked across the Indian film industry and international independent cinema for over two decades. His artistic practice spans filmmaking, painting, photography, lighting, set design, and poetry.

The duo are also co-founders of AuroApaar, a not-for-profit dance-film collective that has successfully staged four editions of the Manifest Dance-Film Festival, South Asia’s only annual international festival spotlighting the genre.