Testimonials from Past Students:
Trying to count the number of students that Malabika has taught over the decades of her tenure would be an impossible task, as her presence embedded within the community knew no bounds when it came to community programs and eager dance and performing arts students. When trying to complete the count, we reach well past several thousands of artists – ranging from age 3 to age 80. Her approach to teaching is multi-generational and inclusive of all people with all abilities. She is known as a “second mom” to many of her students, and several wanted to publicly share their experience of their beloved “Mashi” to preserve her legacy as a master educator.
Testimonials from Community Members:
Over the years, Malabika has collaborated with and stayed connected with the vibrant South Asian, arts, and live performance community in the tri-state area and beyond. Many folks sent in their testimonials to reflect on their time with Malabika and/or explain some of her impact on them and other community members through the diligence of her dance work and community service.
Written Testimonials:
Written Testimonial from Ria Dasgupta,
Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Specialist & Dancer
When I think back to the many years that I worked as a dancer with Malabika Mashi, what I remember most fondly is how much room she made for us as dancers to bring the full range of our artistic skills and interests into the dance. She was as excited to see how my ballet background could make it into choreography as she was my capoeira ability. I never felt the need to mute any of what I could do. Rather, what Malabika Mashi taught me is that the purpose of dance is to tell the story. Whatever movement style best tells the story, best highlights its intricacies and depths, is the best movement style. No dance form has the monopoly on that ability. I have only realized later on in my artistic journey how rare this sentiment is. More common is an orthodoxy of style, and an artificial barrier between what is considered appropriate and what is not. There is such a sense of freedom in Malabika Mashi’s direction, and a trust that if the dancers truly understand the importance of the story being told, what they produce with their bodies will inevitably honor that story.
One of my favorite projects was one where we choreographed movement to poems about the Indian independence movement. I remember feeling so challenged and fulfilled by the opportunity to dance to just the natural rhythm and meaning of the poems. It was an example of something I feel is such an important part of Malabika Mashi’s legacy. She affirmed that our first-generation abilities are adequate to tell the stories of our immigrant parents and their histories. That we could understand, that we could be empathetic, and that we could embody our parents’ complex narratives and do the important work of having those narratives live on. Not to mention that she also had so many of our parents dance too. As my parents often say, few people in our community have escaped being cast in one of Malabika Mashi’s productions, and joyful chaos always ensues!
I haven’t found a creative space quite as fulfilling as that cultivated by Malabika Mashi. I look back at the years of forming and dancing in Kalamandir Dance Company as some of the most generative, exciting, and meaningful in my dance career. Her legacy certainly impacted me, and the dancer that I still strive to be. I know the reach of her legacy is far and wide.
