Come November and you look up the calendar for your date with some experimental performances. Concerts that go beyond entertainment to draw up unlikely collaborations and delve into unknown realms of art.
The Hindu November Fest is back in Bengaluru with a show where Indian classical dance styles are based on Japanese music. Called Chi Udaka - ‘chi’ means earth in Japanese and ‘udaka’ is water in Sanskrit - the partnership will explore traditions of art forms to find common new-age expressions.
The intricate and graceful dance moves of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi are courtesy Australia-based Anandavalli’s company, Lingalayam. The music is by Taikoz, founded in 1997 by drummer Ian Cleworth and shakuhachi player Riley Lee, whose vocabulary also includes flute and cello. The dancers and Taiko drummers will raise the beat in unison for a seamless cross-cultural exchange, driving home the point, art is universal.
Like any veteran Indian classical artiste, Anandavalli, an internationally-renowned dancer, choreographer and teacher, had extensive training under various legends. She learnt Carnatic music from none other than Professor P. Sambamoorthy, who also taught at Kalakshetra. But soon Anandvalli’s mother discovered her flair for dancing and put her under the tutelage of Neila Sathyalingam, and Mylapore Gowri Ammal. Later, Anandavalli also learnt from gurus Adyar K. Lakshmanan and Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. By age 12, she had honed her Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi skills and toured Germany, Paris and London. The inimitable Ram Gopal hailed her as the “young dance phenomenon” before her performance at the Victoria Albert Museum Lecture Theatre. She further enhanced her dance repertoire under the guidance of Vazhuvor Ramaiya Pillai, Vazhuvoor R. Samarraj and Udupi Laxminarayan.
In 1984, she moved to Australia and in 1985 established the Lingalayam Dance Company that over the years has emerged as the most prolific Indian art institute Down Under. Anandavalli pushed the boundaries of creativity with influential cross-genre works across the globe. Chi Udaka is one such. Anandavalli’s aesthetic vision found a match in Taikoz’s vibrant vocabulary of beats and melody. Through this camaraderie, she found a tangible way to project both the physicality of her dance and its emotional quotient.
Like Anandavalli, Taikoz’s artistic director Ian Cleworth, is a performer, composer and teacher. Before joining the ensemble full-time in 2005, he spent 20 years as principal percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and 16 years with the percussion group, Synergy. With wide-ranging collaborations and intensive percussion workshops, Ian has come up with an innovative rhythm language. In this joint production with Lingalayam, he has found how the body works around every beat.
Chi Udaka is the culmination of two performers’ search for the soul of their art. It will engage the audience in an intimate and exciting conversation between dancers and drummers.
The show will not just juxtapose two art forms but capture the contrasting and common emotions. Sometimes gentle, at most times pulsating. Chi Udaka is sure to stun.
‘Chi Udaka India Tour’ is supported by the Australian Government through the Ministry for the Arts Catalyst funding, the Australia-India Council of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Consulate-General, Chennai.
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Venue: Chowdiah Memorial Hall
Date: November 18
Time: 7.30 pm
Event Manager: Showspace
