Global Arts Foundation Victoria Inc aims to increase community participation in multicultural Melbourne life and share the cultural and traditional values among the new generations. The organisation`s goal is to create an environment that fosters the artistic, intellectual and personal growth for the younger generation across multiple ethnic backgrounds preparing them for successful and productive lives
We are a not for profit organisation, striving to provide a platform for young generations to showcase their artistic talents and break down the traditional boundaries increasing cross-cultural awareness.
The organisation has capitalized on ‘World Dance Day’ each year since 2015 to showcase multiple art forms and provide a platform for budding local and international artists
OUR MISSION
“Our aim is to foster cross-cultural awareness across communities by organizing programs that will showcase different dance styles and provide a platform for local and international artists to enrich cultural participation across multicultural Victoria”
ABOUT DANCE MELA EVENT:
Dance, being a central part of every culture, constitutes the ideal means for bringing together people from different countries. The intent of Dance Mela is to provide the opportunity for the dance community to share their passion for dance and to increase the awareness of the importance of dance among the general public.
Through this annual event we would like to engage young talents in the liveliest manner to promote reciprocal knowledge and respect for diversity
OUR TEAM
Mrs. Mala
Committee Member
Mrs. Lakshmi Gopinathan
Committee Member
Ms. Varsha
Event Co-ordinator
Varsha is currently studying the Bachelor(Honours)/Master of Pharmacy at Monash University. She has a strong passion and interest towards understanding the roots of Indian culture and has been fortunate enough to learn different types of Indian classical music for many years. Varsha has completed her Arengetram under the guidance of Smt Sujatha Surendran in 2014 and is currently a student at “Art of Vinyasa” for the last 5 years. She has also learnt Carnatic vocal for a number of years and has been learning the violin for the last 4 years under the guidance of Sri Murali Kumar. Her extensive passion and curiosity for all Indian classical art forms has allowed her to appreciate other fine arts across the world. Being the youth event coordinator, she is passionate about bringing awareness and spreading love for the rich culture of all traditional art forms.
Ms.Tanvi Oza
Event Co-ordinator
Vidya Satish
Event Co-ordinator
Mrs. Rita Marar
Treasurer
Rita Marar is a dance and music enthusiast who believes in encouraging young people connect to their cultural roots via classical art form. As the mother of a young dancer learning Bharatanatyam under Meghala Bhat, Rita is an active mum in the Art of Vinyasa community. She brings along multiple years of professional experience as a project manager to support the events organised under Art of Vinyasa and Global Arts Foundation.
With a common vision to foster multicultural awareness, Rita with the GAFV team aspires to uplift the Dance Mela platform; to encourage young dancers to showcase their passion and love for the traditional dance form. And thus, carrying forward the legacy that would otherwise be forgotten.
Meghala Bhat
Secretary
Meghala Bhat is a leading performing artist and teacher in the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam and Yoga (Ashtanga Vinyasa) in Melbourne, Australia. She has been the chief architect in the creation of GAFV and has been instrumental in driving multicultural awareness across Victoria through her various involvements and initiatives.
Meghala was featured in Michel Lawrence’s project “Indian Aussies” which was officially launched in Delhi and Melbourne during the Commonwealth Games 2010 to celebrate the lives of the more than 300,000 Indians who have made Australia their home. She has to her credit of being the only Indian artiste to have performed at the Global Dialogue Foundation held in Melbourne in collaboration with the United Nations in the presence of its High Representative for Alliance of Civilizations – Mr Jorge Sampaio (formerPresident of Portugal).
Meghala has held the position of the founding Secretary and Advisor for Dance in FIMDV (Federation of Indian Music and Dance -Victoria) and was instrumental in bringing together several dance and music institutions and conducting the Festival of Indian Fine Arts. She is an active participant within the Australian-Indian community and has played a strong role in regular undertakings with an aim to share traditional and cultural awareness among new generations in multicultural Victoria.
Mrs. Gilian Abrahim
Vice President
Sagar Hirasave
President
Sagar Hirasave has been involved in the Music and Dance landscape for the past two decades and has been involved in multiple art communities across Australia and India. His aim is to try and use GAFV as a vehicle to provide the opportunity for the dance community to share their passion and to increase the awareness among the multicultural community and utilise this to propogate cross-cultural ties.