Active Stocks
Tue Mar 19 2024 11:41:02
  1. Tata Consultancy Services share price
  2. 4,018.35 -3.05%
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 147.85 -1.17%
  1. Bharti Airtel share price
  2. 1,231.85 0.56%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 260.90 -1.55%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 409.85 -1.81%
Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Dance of the city
BackBack

Dance of the city

The next Attakkalari Biennial festival of contemporary dance will host 200 artistes

The Compagnie Philippe Saire from Switzerland will perform at the biennial. Photo: Philippe WeissbrodtPremium
The Compagnie Philippe Saire from Switzerland will perform at the biennial. Photo: Philippe Weissbrodt

It says something about the expectations raised and standards set by Attakkalari that tickets for a launch show announcing the contemporary dance biennial sold out several days in advance. The launch show, mind you, for the event is to be held from 6-15 February at venues across Bangalore and the organizers are still finalizing the line-up of artistes and choreographers who will have the onerous task of keeping the biennial flag flying high.

“The idea is to connect with the idea of dance," says Attakkalari’s founder and artistic director Jayachandran Palazhy, in between meetings with ministry officials and stage inspections. Accordingly, the theme for the 2015 edition—the seventh since 2000—is “Dance Connect", which implies placing “movement art", as Palazhy likes to call it, firmly in a social matrix involving common people and connoisseurs, audiences and artistes, choreographers and communities.

“There are so many tensions, ruptures in society today. I believe a lot of it is because we shy away from engaging with culture," says the lithe-bodied, light-footed Palazhy, who set up Attakkalari in 1992, and launched the biennial in 2000. “Dance Connect is an attempt to take movement art to the people. Any cultural activity has multiple layers. It doesn’t matter if one doesn’t have a visual history, we believe there’s always a beginning. Which is why we want to reach as many people as possible."

The February event will feature contemporary dance performances from Korea (the Bereishit Dance Company), Switzerland (Compagnie Philippe Saire), as well as troupes from Germany, France, UK, Australia and Belgium, besides India and a few other countries.

As in previous years, audiences can expect cutting-edge acts that are deeply rooted in particular geographies yet universally relevant. Consider Black Out, the 2011 production Algeria-born dancer-choreographer Philippe Saire will bring to India, after shows across the world. In a review, Swiss magazine L’Hebdo wrote, “(It) is a masterpiece that is watched from above, a moving picture of light, muscle and rubber dust" involving three dancers who create their own graphic art with “a rain of ashes".

The main stage shows will be accompanied by a residency on writing on dance, masterclasses, workshops (for instance, on how dance is captured by the camera), seminars and “meet the artiste" sessions at venues across Bangalore.

Attakkalari members are as excited about the programmes they have lined up ahead of the February event. “Earlier this month, we launched outreach initiatives in schools, colleges and other educational and research institutes, besides corporate houses and community organizations," says Palazhy. “Under the Aseema project, Attakkalari artistes will work closely with students on a multimedia dance piece that will be presented to the public during the biennial."

On 22 September, Attakkalari will inaugurate its Talent Academy, which will offer a full-time “integrated and intense" six-month course to young artistes in areas such as performance, body conditioning and fitness, stage technology, research, pedagogy, choreography and project management. “This course, too, will culminate in an interdisciplinary public performance involving dance, digital arts, stage technologies and music during the biennial," says Palazhy.

The third prong of Attakkalari’s effort to “connect" is a choreography residency that will run from 5 January-5 February. Under the mentorship of Margie Medlin of Australian arts body Critical Path, Zaire, Palazhy and other stage professionals, up to 10 emerging choreographers from South Asia and elsewhere, will be expected to develop new performance works of 10-20 minutes’ duration. These, too, will premiere during the biennial.

“Dance," says Palazhy, as our conversation winds up, “is the ultimate way of authenticating the human body. It paves the way to a higher understanding of sensuality, of space, music, experience. The body becomes art." And the biennial, its altar.

The Attakalari Biennial will be held from 6-15 February in Bangalore. Click here for details.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 13 Sep 2014, 12:09 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App