The Khambatta Dance Company Director Shares Desires for Cross-Cultural Connectivity
Cyrus Khambatta On His Vision for a Networked Future
Name pronunciation: Sai-russ Kahm-baht-ta | Pronouns: he/him
By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Contributor
When encapsulated in their communities, with their noses to the grindstone, it can be easy for artists to silo themselves off. While bolstering artistry in one’s community is beneficial, many benefits can also be reaped from looking outside oneself and forming cross-cultural connections. This inclusivity- and community-oriented mindset is one that Cyrus Khambatta carries with him in his work as Executive Artistic Director of Khambatta Dance Company and the Seattle International Dance Festival.
Cyrus was introduced to art and movement at a young age, as his mother worked in theatre education. He took classes at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington, DC, where he trained early on in acrobatics, tap, and creative movement, among other styles. Cyrus developed a deep interest in physical theatre, specifically the intersection of dance and theatre, which he fostered while attending an alternative school. During his time at New York University, he participated in the Experimental Theater Wing, specifically the dance track, which featured a curriculum largely focused on physicality and self-creation.
With fellow students and peers on the dance track at NYU, Cyrus formed Phffft! Dance Theatre Company, which would later become Khambatta Dance Company. Having participated in largely self-directed educational programs throughout his schooling, Cyrus was confident that starting a company right after college was something he wanted to do. After graduating, the company mainly toured and performed around Europe and the east coast of the United States, including Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina. KDC also took part in a long-term residency in Venezuela for about three years.
After KDC moved to Seattle in 2001, Cyrus realized that dance was not being presented in a lot of venues like it was on the east coast and across Europe. “If [KDC] was going to be here, we would have to create our own environment,” he shares. Cyrus felt deeply inspired by the cross-cultural and cross-organizational connections made at the dance and arts festivals he participated in across different regions; this type of connection is ultimately what inspired the creation of the Seattle International Dance Festival.
Seattle International Dance Festival is a program born out of Khambatta Dance Company, aimed at hosting and inviting domestic and international dance companies to Seattle to present work. Cyrus is a board member and the main curator for SIDF but invites curators for various portions of the festival, such as Gonzaga University Dance Director Suzanne Ostersmith for the Spotlight on Seattle program of SIDF in 2022.
“As an artist, artist presenter, administrator, and company that oversees the festival, we have a great interest in seeing that dance is served in our community,” Cyrus says, speaking on the value of providing the geographically isolated Seattle dance community with a view into different dance scenes around the world.
Cyrus shares that the experience of two cultures coming together is important to him, as his father is Asian Indian and his mother is white, making him a product of cross-cultural connection himself. Throughout their personal lives and careers, Cyrus’ parents have experienced and fought against racial discrimination. From witnessing his parents’ own experiences, as well as navigating the societal challenges of having a biracial identity, Cyrus has been inspired to elevate and celebrate diversity through dance as a means to heal the damage racism has caused. “[It] inspires me when I see different cultures coming together,” Cyrus expresses, sharing that his primary desire is to bring unity through understanding in his work at Khambatta Dance Company and beyond.
Cyrus describes the leadership and creation process within Khambatta Dance Company as “collaborative” across the organization, including its artistic and administrative positions. The dancers all work together to create an abundance of material in a short period of time and the administrative staff comes together to identify areas of need to improve KDC and SIDF. This horizontal leadership format falls in tandem with the values the organization was founded on.
In addition, Cyrus takes pride in KDC’s presentation of split bill performances, as the organization finds value in presenting “a pluralistic view of art” as a way for creators and audiences to reflect on their life experiences and see broader worldviews.
Over the summer, Khambatta Dance Company performed at Blois Dance Festival in Blois, France, and did a two-week residency at Newport Dance Festival with Island Moving Company in Newport, Rhode Island. Along with Khambatta performing its own independent pieces, dancers from KDC and Island Moving Company got the opportunity to dance together in a piece choreographed by Cyrus for both companies.
In October 2022, Khambatta Dance Company is headed to Busan and Iksan, South Korea to perform. KDC has a partnership with a dance festival in South Korea and plans on working to bring artists back and forth between South Korea and the United States.
“We are looking at creating an international and national network where Seattle artists could tour some of the places that we have created relationships,” Cyrus says of the future of SIDF. He’s greatly interested in creating mechanisms that encourage the global exchange of dancers to better support Seattle artists’ touring funds, allow artists opportunities to expand their own audiences, as well as see art presented across different cultures. In his work, Cyrus appreciates utilizing a model that doesn’t just consider what will benefit one’s own community, but also neighboring communities.
“I’d like to see that artists become the ambassadors for culture, particularly in the United States,” Cyrus says. In addition, he encourages artists to foster their own community-oriented curiosity and turn their eyes toward art that they may think is pushing the envelope. In addition, he believes dancers should embolden themselves to “think a little bigger,” pushing themselves to stop considering how they must fit a pre-existing mold, in spite of the challenges that come along with that.
“I think dance artists really need to think about changing the mold,” Cyrus says.
