Chitra Vairavan recognized with the 2016 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers

Our colleague and program manager Chitra Vairavan has been awarded the 2016 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers.

According to the announcement “Vairavan is immersed in both Tamil culture and progressive brown politics here in the U.S. She dances to heal and teaches dance to help heal others.”

The prestigious award goes to only three dancers a year:

The McKnight Fellowships for Dancers annually awards three fellowships of $25,000 each to Minnesota dancers. The awards are unrestricted and can help an artist set aside periods of time for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration; take advantage of an opportunity; or work on a new project.

The fellowship program is designed to award Minnesota dancers whose work is of exceptional artistic merit, who have created a substantial body of work over a period of time, and who are at a career stage that is beyond emerging. In addition to the cash award, fellows receive additional support for career development, are invited to attend a four-day retreat in rural Minnesota, and will be part of the SOLO Commissioning Program, which provides for a new solo work to be created for each fellow by a choreographer selected by the fellow.

Congratulations, Chitra!