[Reader-list] World Dance Day: Celebrating Emerging Voices in the City

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

World Dance Day: Celebrating Emerging Voices in the City

India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
Sunday 29th April 2012, 7:45pm
Free entry

Screening of films from The Yellow Line Project bringing together dance, film and the city of Delhi. Followed by a showcase of exciting new works by emerging artists. Curated in collaboration with The Gati Dance Forum. The evening’s programme includes:


THE YELLOW LINE PROJECT FILMS:

in shadows and silence (5 mins)
Nehru Place
Rajyashree Ramamurthi (IND) & Desmond Roberts (IND)

DUDRO (5 mins 20 secs)
Rickshaw parking, Nizamuddin East
Parimal Phadke (IND) & Dhanya Pilo (IND)

UNDERLINE (7 mins)
Nizamuddin railway station
Surjit Nongmeikapam (IND) & Frederic Lombard (SWITZERLAND)

Site Mapping (6 mins)
Hospital contruction site, Mehrauli
Preethi Athreya (IND) & Yashaswini R (IND)

tarq (4 mins)
Demolished building on MG Road
Rakesh MPS (IND) & Asim Waqif (IND)





NEW WORKS BY EMERGING ARTISTS:

orange butterflies and aqua sequins
Sanjukta Wagh

a solo excerpt from the full length dance theatre production, let her be born [a tribute to women artistes around the world through poetry, music and dance]

Deeply moved by a character from African American writer Ntozake Shange's choreo-poem, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, the choreographer has visualized this "passion flower of south west Los Angeles" in the galis of Benaras and danced her in Kathak. This is also a reaction to the stereotypical "nayika" in classical dance who is presented as forever yearning for her beloved. The journey that began with this portrayal has led to a full-length dance theatre presentation by beej titled, 'let her be born' interpreting various women’s voices in performance. This is an excerpt from Ntozake Shange choroeographed in Kathak to the strains of maestro Sultan Khan's sarangi.

Dancer, choreographer and teacher, Sanjukta Wagh has developed an interdisciplinary approach which draws from Kathak, Hindustani Music, literature and theatre. Her recent year-long experience at the Laban centre of dance, London, has been pivotal in redefining her method and sensibilities. “beej” is an initiative by Sanjukta Wagh is to facilitate the coming together of individuals with diverse backgrounds, training and expertise to converge their collective energies for a transformation to take place, on the premise that energy creates form. beej is actively involved in dance education, choreography, performance and research
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a failed spring picnic
Mayuka Ueno Gayer

The Spring has come. A mother and her infant child are going on a picnic. The mother wants to dance, and so does the child, but in her own way.
A half choregraphed/half improvised piece of dance, an experimentation mixing the representation (of a picnic) and the presentation (what we are on the stage).

Performers : Mayuka Ueno Gayer, Anju-Marie Ueno Gayer
Music : Vasant Pallavi (Odissi)

Mayuka Ueno Gayer was born in Japan and started ballet training at the age of 3. After studying political science at Keio University in Tokyo, she left for France for further studies in sociology and arts. In parallel with her academic studies, she has been working with several artists and choreographers and started her own productions. Since 2006, she has been living in Delhi and stuying Odissi under the guidance of Guru Pratibha Jena at Triveni Kala Sangam. She is the mother of a baby girl who has been a constant source of inspiration.

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ways of seeing 
Swati Mohan

“My dreams at that time were rather disturbed. Before my condition had been diagnosed, I had been very bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of hospital, I dreamt that I was going to be executed. I suddenly realised that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do if I were reprieved. Another dream, that I had several times, was that I would sacrifice my life to save others.” Stephen Hawking. The choreography is inspired by the idea of turning point that people experience which shifts their perspective. The phenomenon of looking at familiar things in unfamiliar ways is a common result of these events for people. The movement material is generated working in “reverse” instead of forwards and in restriction instead of being free with space or body. It attempts to explore the emotional journey with the dancers while in process of looking at the event differently. 
Dance collaborators: Archana Chaturvedi, Virkein Dhar and Swati Mohan
Swati Mohan is a dance practitioner, singer, actor and an animal lover. She has been performing since the age of 6yrs and considers herself blessed with the loveliest teachers. Trained in contemporary dance, jazz, classical ballet, yoga dance, Bharatanatyam, she is also a passionate teacher. Founder and director of Danza Performing Arts and alumni of The Danceworx Performing Arts Academy, she works intensively with anyone who wants to dance. Sketching dance for experiment, schools, theatre or herself keeps her connected to the universal creative energies. She believes in miracles and dance choosing her after zoology Hons and 4 yrs of advertising stint is no less than a miracle for her. 

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Just for the moment
Rakesh MPS

This piece is about about questioning the idea of presence which is established or squeezed in between what happened and what is supposed to happen. How do we identify or realize it? How do we peruse it and what is our way of expressing the presence through the movement vocabulary, also questioning our choices and our relationship with the past which is expressed at this very moment. Just for a moment is an improvisational performance where the dancer is working of identifying this presence which is supported through atmosphere and the feeling of space, working through time where he is not aware of the very next moment, but identifying presence and performing it, where the body is asked not to be influenced from outside music or specific task but to follow the instincts, feeling every moment chosen from the present moment.

Rakesh MPS started his career as a Bollywood dancer. Since 2003, he has been doing contemporary dance. He has been associated with Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bangalore for 5 years between 2004 and 2009. For the last 3 years, Rakesh has been working as an independent artist. Between July and August 2009, he participated in the Apprenticeship Program with Magpie Umbrella Organisation. Currently, he works as a freelance performer, teacher and choreographer and has taught contemporary dance and Kalarippayattu in several cities in India and abroad.