From dazzling choreography to handcrafting the costumes that bring each performance to life, Durban dancer and choreographer Pavishen Paideya is proving that the most memorable theatre begins with imagination.
Long before he was choreographing productions, touring South Africa or creating elaborate costumes by hand, Pavishen Paideya was a little boy sitting in an audience, completely spellbound.
He was only three or four years old when he watched his aunt, a trained Kathak dancer, perform on stage. It is a memory that has never left him.
“I remember the magic, the glamour and how captivating it was,” recalls Pavi. “That was my first memory of being totally transfixed by dance and theatre.”
Today, more than three decades later, that same sense of wonder still drives everything he creates.
Known as one of Durban’s most versatile performers, Pavi has spent years building a reputation as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and the artistic director of Rudra Dance Theatre. His work seamlessly blends Indian classical dance with contemporary, tap and Spanish influences, creating productions that are both visually spectacular and deeply personal.
Surprisingly, he says there is no formula behind the way he fuses different dance styles.
“I think knowing all these dance styles is like having a vocabulary,” he explains. “Creating choreography is like speaking the language that best expresses how I’m feeling or interpreting the music. It comes very honestly.”
His productions often explore identity, culture and belonging, themes that naturally reflect his own experience as a South African Indian.
“Being South African Indian comes with many identities,” he says. “Navigating where you fit into society and your cultural background plays a huge role in what I create.”
That authenticity has seen his original productions, including Samsara, Rupa and Kaal ki Kahaani, earn acclaim for combining technical excellence with powerful storytelling.
Yet dance is only one part of Pavi’s creative world. Many people are surprised to discover that he also designs and creates many of the costumes worn by his dancers, often spending countless hours behind a sewing machine before a production opens.
His love of costume design began more than a decade ago, experimenting with scraps of fabric and learning from his grandfather, who was a tailor.
“Being around sewing and fabric just felt natural,” he says. “My mom still helps me a lot with making our costumes.”
Sometimes inspiration arrives while scrolling through social media, watching television or researching traditional dress. Other times it begins with an unexpected bolt of fabric discovered while shopping.
“I’ll find a fabric that just jumps out at me and I have to use it,” he laughs.
Whether he’s designing costumes or choreographing a performance, the goal is always the same, creating a complete theatrical experience that transports audiences somewhere else.
“I think theatrical performances should be magical and mesmerising,” he says. “People come to be entertained and escape reality. I’d like to create dreams.”
Travel has also shaped his creative journey. While performing for audiences in different places has shown him how differently people connect with dance, one experience stands out above the rest.
Although he has yet to perform in India, attending classes and workshops there gave him a deeper appreciation of the country’s rich dance heritage and continues to influence his work today. Among his proudest achievements is Rudra Dance Theatre’s recent Johannesburg tour of Kaal ki Kahaani.
“It was an incredible experience,” he says. “Having a team of dancers who pulled off everything I asked for and more, together with the support of my family, made me incredibly proud of what we achieved.”
Despite the demanding rehearsal schedules, endless creative decisions and physical exhaustion that come with a life in dance, Pavi says there is one feeling that keeps calling him back to the stage.
“Joy,” he says simply. “Yes, there’s stress and exhaustion, but the satisfaction and adrenaline at the end are unmatched.”
When he isn’t in the studio, he enjoys quiet evenings with family and friends, movie nights and the occasional games evening, although he admits his mind is usually already planning the next production.
For young dancers dreaming of turning their passion into a career, his advice is refreshingly honest.
“Go for it,” he says. “It’s not easy, but anything worthwhile isn’t easy. You need resilience, perseverance and self-motivation. It’s a tough industry, but it can be incredibly fulfilling.”
This month, audiences will once again see Pavi return to a stage that has become like a second home as he joins more than 100 performers in the beloved annual production, Shall We Dance?
For him, the show is about much more than dazzling choreography.
“Shall We Dance has become a huge family,” he says. “There’s a sense of belonging and warmth that every cast member loves. It’s given me incredible opportunities to grow as both a performer and choreographer.”
As for the legacy he hopes to leave behind, his answer is beautifully simple. “I hope people remember that I was happy.”
Perhaps that’s because happiness, like dance itself, is something best shared. And if audiences leave the theatre believing in a little more magic than when they arrived, then Pavi knows he has done exactly what that little boy in the audience once dreamed of doing.
Details: Follow Pavi’s journey on social media: @pavishenpaideya
Shall We Dance
One of Durban’s favourite dance spectaculars, Shall We Dance returns to The Playhouse Opera from September 11 to 13, bringing together more than 100 dancers in a vibrant celebration of movement, music and colour.
This year’s production once again features acclaimed local performers, including Pavishen Paideya, alongside returning international dance stars Egor Kondratenko and Mie Lincke Funch, fresh from the European and Asian competition circuit.
Created by dance ambassadors Caryl Cusens and Neville Letard, the high-energy showcase combines more than 10 dance styles with spectacular choreography, dazzling costumes and breathtaking production.
Tickets are priced from R150 to R200 and available from Webtickets.
