Akademi returns to the Southbank Centre on March 4th & 5th with 'Daredevas 2008' an exhilarating platform for the best new talent in contemporary Indian dance. Through their modern interpretations of the time-honoured styles of Kathak and Bharatanatyam, these fresh artists inspire audiences with the energy and rich heritage inherent to these styles. This year's Daredevas features Payal Patel, Archita Kumar, Vipul Bhatti, Katharine Ryan, Shrikant Subramaniam, Aakash Odedra, Archana Ballal and Leena Patel.

For Daredevas 2008 Akademi has selected a programme of seven short works comprising six solos and one duet, ranging from a fusion of Bharatanatyam with body-popping to intricate extensions of Kathak forms. The choreographers and dancers include some of the first graduates from London Contemporary Dance School's BA Contemporary Dance specialising in South Asian dance, and have been mentored by John Marc-Gowans who has composed for choreographers including Richard Alston, Siobhan Davies and Stephanie Schober.

Now in its third year, Daredevas continues to support the significant and continually growing talent of current South Asian dance artists. The programme reflects the meetings of cultures, of traditional with contemporary and of new talent with the more established, that characterises the cultural ecology of modern Britain.

Previous Daredevas alumni have subsequently appeared on bigger stages and include Divya Kasturi (Complicite, A Disappearing Number), Seema Patel (recently showed work at ROH2), Saju Hari (recently showed work at ROH2 and currently dancing with Akram Khan Dance Company) and Shane Shambhu (Complicite, A Disappearing Number).