Art essentially is expression of any kind. At a time when we, as a society, are trying to find our own mediums of expressions, and the meanings within them, it comes as a sigh of relief when we chance upon a gesture or a movement we can relate to. These gestures or movements are, sometimes, forces untranslatable into words. Contemporary dance has remained and continues to be one such enormous force that many of us reckon with, despite the worldly debates about its walk away from what purists called traditional.
In one such attempt to blur the lines between tradition and innovation, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has come up with a three-day festival of contemporary dance, aptly titled Expressions in New Delhi. The festival is curated by Suresh K Goel, former Director General of the ICCR and produced by Teamwork Arts. An amalgamation of creative highs set to intrinsic patterns, Expressions seeks to connect the critical mind to the fluid body, the result of which is a hybrid of energies engulfing the auditorium here at Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts.
Speaking about the peculiarity of contemporary dance, Goel says that there prevails a misimpression about what India represents in the realm.
“The groups are trying to find a medium of expression which is different from what India is known for but is still Indian. Using the medium of classical dances or martial arts forms like Bharatanatyam, Odissi or Kalaripayittu, they are trying to create something new and abstract. The themes from our own societies have resonance with their expressions. And in order to develop a culture, we must evolve.”
The festival features productions and choreographies by Indian as well as international groups like Attakalari (Bengaluru), Compagnie Jósef Trefeli (Switzerland), Ice Craft Dance Company (Ahmedabad), Dafi Dance Company (Israel), and Rhythmosaic (Kolkata).
Myriad shades
The choreographies deal with a number of imageries, emotions, social issues, philosophies and experiences. MeiDhwani, Echoes of the Body (Mei - body; Dhwani - echo or suggestion), by Attakalari, is a spectacular display of the creative thought process. The choreography looks at the fragility of human life and its chaos by producing the five great elements on stage through props and visual imageries. The pot represented the earth and water, both female energies; the cylindrical lamp represented fire and wind, almost like a phallic symbol; the space itself became ether, thus, conjuring the encounters of a lifetime on stage. Men and women entered from either sides representing the encounters, making the props look like landscapes.
Jinx 103, by Compagnie Jósef Trefeli, is another extremely energised performance charged by the complexities of the body. Desolate and Skin, by Rhythmosaic, celebrate the identities of transgenders and the idea of finding comfort in one's own skin, regardless of its origin.
In a conversation Jayachandran Palazhy, Artistic Director, Attakalari, gives an insight into the the understanding of the symbols of contemporary dance. “There are two ways to respond to this. One remains at the gut level, which is empathetic. You feel what is being portrayed through neurons. The second one is through a history of viewing, when you understand the form itself. In both cases, the dance remains an ongoing process. When you watch contemporary dance with a mind preoccupied with classical or other dance forms, you might miss the point,” says Jayachandran. “For instance, if one is experimenting with music and confines oneself to the tala pattern, one will never be able to explore the many possibilities that come with, say, Jazz. One travels with the art and then finds language within it. Dance is the materialisation of one’s imagination. Even before it is created, it disappears. It is constantly in the process and is ephemeral. One has to be present in the moment which can be cherished later. It is the purest way to experience something,” Jayachandran adds.
