Educational Projects
Neena has brought her dancers to perform and teach in numerous venues, including Dance Umbrella lecture/demonstration, Massachusetts Community Educational Television series, and dozens of universities and schools who have contected her as one of the Massachusetts Cultural Council roster artists.

Workshops
For 5000 yrs. temple dancers in India have told educational stories using a highly formalised choreography combining hand gestures, facial expressions, rhythmic footwork & sculpturesque bodypostures. Today this ancient art is preserved, performed & promoted here in Massachusetts @ the Triveni School, establishedin 1971 by acclaimed dancer Neena Gulati, from New Delhi.. Neena has been on the Mass. Cultural Council "Roster of Artists" for the past 20 yrs.. These are artists who have been reccommended by the Council to present workshops in schools all over New England. Neena & her students have brought the dance, music & storytelling of a culture which had previously been underrepresented in this area. In our increasingly diverse communities, this is an indispensable contribution. Schools teaching World Cultures & Ancient traditions have invited Neena back many times. "Thank you so much for the magnificent dance performances...engaging, lively & instructive...I've been deeply impressedby your talent, not only as a dancer, but as a superb teacher." letter from Jonathan Sills, Social Studies Dept., Brookline High School.

Benefit Performances
Neena has directed and performed with her ensemble at the Hindu Temple of Albany, A Tribute to Mother for Mother Teresa's mission in Calcutta, Shishu Bharati in Burlington, Cultural Survival at Harvard University, Earthwatch, Oxfam America, the Silk Road Gala for the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, Volunteers in service to Education in India, and the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center.

The Christmas Revels (1997)
With members of the Triveni Dance Ensemble and young Triveni dancers, Neena choreographed and performed with the Revels company at 16 sold-out performances at Sanders Theater in Cambridge, MA.

Symphony of Moods (1997)
In collaboration with Bangladeshi poet Sajed Kamal and Accompanied by musicians, Neena choreographed interpretive dance and performed classical pieces at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York.

Welcome to Asian-America (1996)
In conjunction with the Asian American Resource Workshop, Neena and members of the Triveni Dance Ensemble performed at the Boston Center for the Arts.

Poetry and Dance (1995)
With renowned American poet Robert Bly, Neena directed one of many shows where she dance to Mr. Bly's translations of ancient Indian poetry. The poets included Mira Bai, Kabir and Tagore. The collaboration of these two artists began in 1986, and they have performed together 9 times across the country and in London since then.

Other Performances
Neena and her students have performed in hundreds of multicultural events, including the Teen Emplowerment Meeting Boston Film Festival honoring Mira Nair, the Special Olympics, First Night in Boston, Sharon & Lowell, The Dancing Flute at Berklee College of Music, Kids are People School in Boston, Diversity makes Us Strong at BankBoston, Asian American Ethnic Festival in Boston, India Festival, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, International Festival at Bayside Exposition Center, and the Whole World Celebration.

Recent Reviews

Press Releases

 

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For Use Upon Receipt

Date: November 15, 2005
Contact information: Neena Gulati (617-232-5485) Brookline-based Triveni School of Dance Chosen for
2005 Massachusetts Catalogue for Philanthropy

Boston, Brookline-based Triveni School of Dance has been selected as a Massachusetts 2005 Catalogue for Philanthropy charity. This year’s edition of the Catalogue profiles 72 of Massachusetts ' outstanding environmental, cultural, and human service agencies as "examples of excellence" in Massachusetts philanthropy. Triveni School of Dance, Inc. was chosen from a total applicant pool of over 250 organizations.

For 5,000 years, temple dancers in India have told educational stories using a highly formalized choreography combining symbolic hand gestures, facial expressions, rhythmic footwork and sculpturesque body movements. Today this ancient art is preserved, performed and promoted here in Massachusetts at the Triveni School , established in 1971 by acclaimed dancer Neena Gulati, originally from New Delhi . The School trains over 400 dancers every week, ages five to 55, in classical dance. As they learn these graceful techniques, dancers prepare for their “arangetram,” or artistic debut, featuring a two-hour solo performance.

In addition, the School ensemble gives hundreds of performances annually — including benefits for other charities—at multicultural events, schools, community centers and universities, where lectures are combined with demonstrations and workshops. Triveni has operated primarily with funds raised through tuition and modest performance fees, while private donations fund scholarships for students and help dancers cover costs of their arangetrams. 2005-06 will be Triveni’s 35th year in Massachusetts , and now you can thank them for enriching our quality of life, especially for the Indian communities that are so important to our new economy.

The Catalogue, which was the first of its kind anywhere, was created by a group of leading foundations here in 1997 to help close the gap between Massachusetts’ ranks in income and in charitable giving — then the largest such disparity in the nation. To do this, in addition to the annual Catalogue itself, the project developed the nationally-known "Generosity Index"™, a website (www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org), "Giving Massachusetts Day" proclaimed since 2001 as the day after Thanksgiving by Governors Swift and Romney, and many other "donor-friendly" tools. Since 1997, charitable giving here has doubled, from $2 billion to $4 billion, and though the Catalogue makes no claim for this growth, the Catalogue Project is widely recognized as a national leader in donor education. There are now similar Catalogues in Washington , DC , and St. Louis, MO , and others are being planned in several other philanthropic markets.

According to George McCully, President of the Catalogue, "The Catalogue is designed as a showcase for Massachusetts philanthropy, and a one-stop shop for a family's charitable giving. A single check, electronic transaction over the web or stock transfer can be allocated to as many charities as the donor pleases, and because the Catalogue is sponsored and paid-for by its philanthropic sponsors, 100% of every donation goes to the designated charities."

Triveni School of Dance, Inc. was chosen in rigorous competition by professional grantmakers, private donors, fundraisers and executive directors of charities. "Charities are selected for general excellence, cost-effectiveness, and teaching value about philanthropy," McCully said.