Can everyone dance? The answer is yes, according to the folks who run The Bal Moderne, a travelling public dance initiative that took off in Paris and was developed in Belgium. And this is no casual waving about of limbs, but coordinated choreography set to time and rhythm. Over the course of an evening, The Bal Moderne introduces an uninitiated public to a few short choreographies made for collective performance by professional choreographers. This evening, The Bal Moderne comes to Mumbai in the ‘Brussels Dances with Mumbai’ initiative to mark the occasion of the Belgian royal family’s visit to India.
Back in 1993, artist and filmmaker Michel Reilhac initiated the first the Bal Moderne event. It came at a time when dancers wanted more recognition and funding for their work. Yet, the world of contemporary dance was notorious for taking itself too seriously, thus becoming inaccessible to the layperson. Reilhac’s endeavour offered large and mixed audiences the opportunity to engage with artistic work made by professional dancers. “In post-war Europe, the tradition of collective dancing had gradually disappeared,” explains explained Oonagh Duckworth, the current organiser of the initiative. “When Bal Moderne began, collective dance initiatives were not so popular and the dance world was snobbish about the idea. We found that we’d addressed something people were missing. In Paris, people were relieved to have something (of the arts) open to them even if they weren’t ultra trendy,”
Cross-cultural collaborations
Over the years, the Bal Moderne has tried to pick dances that are artistic and accessible. It has commissioned work from several renowned choreographers, asking them to create pieces that reflect their artistic motifs. This, while remaining basic enough to be learned and danced on the spot by large groups of people. One way of ensuring that everyone comes to Bal Moderne on an equal footing is the lack of emphasis on style without drawing on technical elements.
In Mumbai, the Bal Moderne team joins forces with choreographer Ashley Lobo and his company, The Danceworx, sharing choreography by Lobo alongside short works by the Belgian choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Wim Vandekeybus. Members of Danceworx are rehearsing the three pieces in advance. At the Gateway, they will mingle with the audience and help people learn the choreography.
Since its inception, Bal Moderne has usually organised dances in Europe, in circus tents, church halls, as part of dance festivals and once, as a simultaneous intervention across 12 Belgian towns. A typical event from the collective sees hundreds of people following the instructions of a few facilitators.
Building a community
According to Duckworth, the idea is not to give a dance class. It allows participants to be less self-conscious of the public setting. “The moment the Bal Moderne begins, people are dancing,” says the organiser. “We never let them stumble over the choreography, but keep prompting them. They are guided in a manner that allows for the lack of memory, but doesn’t make it explicit. Within that structure, they can be creative within the moment.”
In a video clip of a rehearsal from Mumbai, the dancers pair up, executing a series of simple movements that require them to interact with their partners. These see the dancers circling each other as they clap, swing and hop, while adding their own flair to the loose framework of movements. “In the past, we have seen people acquire an interest in contemporary dance after participating in the Bal Moderne,” says Duckworth. “They talk to the choreographers teaching them and then go watch their next shows. It connects human beings in a simple and clear way. The famous choreographer standing on the podium and teaching the dance is no longer the most important person.” The Bal Moderne dismantles barriers by stripping contemporary dance of its elitism and bringing it to a human level.
Brussels Dances with Mumbai is at the Gateway of India today from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Entry is free.
