Artist in Residence: Freny Pavri at Yarn

From 29 September to 3 October, Yarn’s Artist in Residence, Freny Pavri, opens her practice to the public in two unique ways.

Freny is a multidisciplinary artist whose work moves fluidly between dance, music, yoga, voice and visual art. Her residency, Practice, transforms the art of practice into a shared experience. Freny invites you not just to witness an artist at work, but to share in the rhythms, repetitions and rituals that shape her craft.

“This residency is a chance to share not just performance, but the practice behind it - the repetition, the preparation, the parts normally kept out of sight - and to open up a space where performance is redefined as something for ourselves as much as for an audience, and vice versa when it comes to the art of practice.” – Freny Pavri

Who is Freny Pavri?

Freny grew up in a traditional Zoroastrian home in India, where creativity was deeply woven into everyday life. Her artistic journey began early by studying classical yoga with her mother from the age of nine, performing in educational theatre in tribal communities, and, at fifteen, training intensively in fine art under the late painter Mahendra Kadia.

From Kadia, she learned the value of discipline and dedication, principles that now define her practice across dance, movement, the body and music. Drawing from the depth of Indian classical traditions, Freny sees education and research as inseparable from her art. Learning and teaching move together, each informing the other. Alongside her own practice, she teaches drama, voice work and classical yoga, both privately and in community.

“I never set out to be a teacher, but I fell into it and discovered how much joy it brings me. When I was learning music, my teacher would always say: now teach. And I realised that’s when true learning happens. Teaching forces me to go deeper, to look past myself and into the work with others. It opens up the practice, it creates community, and it gives me huge energy and reward. Sometimes I feel I don’t even need to practise separately, because the act of teaching itself, and watching others create, becomes its own form of learning.” – Freny Pavri

Practice at Yarn

Freny's residency unfolds in two parts:

• Open Practice: All day, every day, the space will be open for visitors to come and go as they please, witnessing Freny at work. Depending on when you visit, you might find her rehearsing intricate dance sequences, immersed in meditative music practice or in the flow of her daily yoga practice.

• Participatory Events: Alongside her open practice, Freny will lead group sessions in yoga and ensemble singing, as well as one or two specialised masterclasses. These will offer the chance to experience her teaching first-hand, whatever your level of experience.

View Freny's residency schedule here.

“My practice at Yarn will be on all the time, with different things to experience, so you can come back again and again. Just come and see what you like and go when you like. We can talk, share, ask questions or have a chat - it’s open to the moment, with a sense of improvisation and the unexpected. And please don’t worry — you won’t be put on the spot or asked to do anything. You can simply watch, or, if you wish, join in. It’s entirely up to you.” – Freny Pavri

The Disciplines

Dance

The foundation of Freny’s dance practice is Bharatanatyam, a classical form that evolved from temple traditions in South India, composed of polyrhythmic, geometric, and percussive structures in the Carnatic style of South Indian dance music.

During the British colonial era, these dances were banned in temples, and the millennia-old tradition declined. But in the mid-1800s, the Tanjore Quartet adapted the dances for the stage, preserving them for future generations. Freny trains with Chandrasekharan Kittappa Pillai, the eighth-generation descendant of the Quartet, and will livestream her classes with him directly from the original home of the four brothers during her residency.

“It feels extraordinary, a real gift, to be learning in this rare, ancient way, guided by the rhythms sung by my teacher rather than copying movements in front of a mirror. Chandrasekaran’s style of teaching allows the dance to emerge uniquely in my body and his lineage stretches back hundreds of years to the temples of South India, making each practice not only a dance but a living history, a tradition carried forward with integrity. What I’ve discovered is that the older movements are slower, simpler, and healthier, rooted not in spectacle or athleticism but in expression, story, devotion, and beauty. To practise this at Yarn is to step into a space where dance becomes both creative and spiritual, a communication beyond performance.” – Freny Pavri

Yoga

Freny’s yoga draws from a simple, classical style she first learned at home, before formally training at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai and later opening her own teaching practice, Anahat, in 2020. Her approach supports posture, alignment, balance, coordination, mobility, strength, flexibility and agility, using restraint as a guiding principle. It is gentle, open to all, yet powerfully transformative.

At Yarn, Freny will open her daily yoga practice to anyone curious about this ancient discipline. She will also lead a specialised fascia masterclass, exploring the body’s connective tissue network and its role in mobility and our regenerative capacity.

Yoga is many things. For me, its goal is to become more authentic—in myself, and in my relationships with people, with nature, with the environment, and with my work. It helps me remain balanced and in harmony with all the noise of life. And of course, it is also much, much more. When it comes to the body, it’s about making simple, safe shifts in posture and alignment that can bring almost immediate transformation, reminding us not just what we look like outside, but what’s happening inside. I draw on both ancient philosophy and modern fascia research, showing how these traditions align to offer a healthier way of moving and living. My approach is gentle, moderate and accessible to anyone, not about spectacle or pushing harder, but about finding ease, reducing pain and anxiety, and deepening connection with ourselves and our environment. It may seem simple, even boring - but boring is cool. Boring brings results. Less really is more, and in that simplicity lies the true power of yoga.” – Freny Pavri

Music

As part of her daily practice, Freny will play the rudra veena and the sitar. She first studied sitar with the late Sanjay Guha, and later fell in love with Dhrupad, an ancient and meditative form of Indian classical music. Her training in the rudra veena - a rare, almost obsolete instrument - has been with Mohi Baha’uddin in the Dagarvani tradition.

“The rudra veena is slow, deep, and meditative. Sometimes people even fall asleep listening to it, and I love that. It stretches time, creates atmosphere, and its bass sound is unlike anything else. Only a handful of people in the world play it professionally, so it’s rare to experience. The sitar, too, is about harmonics, tuning, and improvisation. Each performance is unique, with total freedom in the moment. In these traditions, you teach as you learn, because they are oral lineages. So for me, playing and teaching go hand in hand; both are ways of keeping this music alive. At Yarn, I hope people simply come to hear these instruments speak, and see what the sound stirs in them.” – Freny Pavri

Singing

Freny has trained with the Polish theatre company Song of the Goat, developing an approach to ensemble performance that harnesses the power of the collective voice. She will end each day at Yarn with a singing workshop: a welcoming, participatory space where everyone is encouraged to join, regardless of experience.

“I always loved singing but never liked my voice, so I understand how uncomfortable it can feel. What changed for me was discovering ensemble singing. It’s magical, another form of listening and communication, as ancient as sitting around the fire together. We are singing animals, and singing is one of the best forms of breathwork, with profound benefits for mood, nervous system regulation, and even our fascia. Everyone has a voice - it’s just a matter of learning how to connect it with the body and discovering the sound you didn’t know you had. Collective singing is about finding that voice, feeling good in it, and realising it’s not about talent but about being human together.” – Freny Pavri

How to Experience Freny’s Residency

There are two ways to take part during Freny's residency, Monday 29th September to Friday 3rd October.

1. Observe: Drop in to Yarn during her open practice hours and witness the creative process in real time. No booking required.

2. Participate: Book a place on Freny’s structured and guided yoga or dance workshops. Full schedule details and booking links will be announced on our What's On page soon.

“The space itself will gently shift you. With small tweaks in posture or movement, you will feel immediate reward, and that positive reinforcement makes the practice effortless. It’s not about pushing to your maximum, but about discovering that ease comes when you do less, not more. When we make friends with ourselves, through our bodies, we free ourselves from the need to compare or prove, and instead claim our own beauty and validation. It’s a change in perspective, a practice of seeing differently, and that opens up a kinder, freer way of being with ourselves and each other.” – Freny Pavri

Freny’s residency invites us to slow down and pay attention to the work, repetition and craft that lie behind every performance and to the joy of sharing that process with others. In her hands, practice becomes not just an artist’s daily discipline, but a living, breathing exchange between people and place.