The fifth edition of the EVAM dance festival, will see the world-acclaimed Battery Dance Company premiering their work, ‘The Red Line’ by Slovenia-born choreographer Tadej Brdnik.
The festival brings to Mumbai a variety of dancing events, ranging from different forms and workshops for dance students, which includes a body conditioning and fitness workshop by Amith Kumar from DanceWorx and a Bharatanatyam workshop by Rama Vaidyanthan.
Germ of an idea
“The idea of the festival germinated as a sore point for me while attending programmes in Mumbai. I found that classical dance programmes had very limited patronage and participation, most performances were attended by friends and family of the dancer or other dancers,” says Keerthana Ravi, founder of EVAM, who feels that this festival helps in bridging the gap between the artistes and dance lovers. “I feel that the layperson is not drawn to watch a classical performance and this will result in fewer platforms and opportunities for dances.”
The festival is divided into two segments. The first segment will commence on Monday at the Summet Nagdev Dance Company studio in Dadar, with a screening of award-winning documentary Moving Stories , which showcases how a particular art form can bring about positive changes in the society. The documentary revolves around Battery Dance, the New York-based dance company’s journey around the world, and how they tell their stories through dance.
“Battery Dance is distinguished by several aspects. Our aspiration to great provocative, compelling works of artistry and high sense of technique and craft is combined with a passion for social impact and engagement with community, at home and overseas during our performances,” says Jonathan Hollander, artistic director and founder Battery Dance Company, which has performed in 70 countries since its inception in 1976.
Mr. Hollander believes that dance is the art form which he has experienced in an intense manner. “As unlikely as it sounds, the fact that I had delved into literary, musical, theatrical and visual arts first prepared me to engage in dance in a very full way, bringing in all of my earlier experiences.”
Two parts
The second segment of the festival, which commences in February, will feature Kathak exponent Pandit Uma Dogra and Bharatnatyam exponent Rama Vaidyanathan. “These performances, which will be accompanied by live musical ensemble, will be held in an intimate space which will make for an inward journey between the artiste and the audience,” says Ms. Ravi.
Although people can watch the performances of artistes and lesser popular arts forms on the Internet, Ms. Ravi emphasised the experience of witnessing a performance first hand. “The experience and joy of watching a performance live and engaging with the art form is possible only through these festivals. Dance transports you to another world where you can let your imagination run that magic is what leaves indelible impressions in one’s mind,” says Ms. Ravi, who believes that all art forms needs visibility and promotion.
Talking about the challenges and hardships the festival organisers go through, Ms. Ravi says, “The audiences are more demanding in terms of quality and content and are open to younger artistes and new-age experiments. Overall, there is a pressure on the organiser and artiste to deliver high quality performances cause you don’t want to lose even one of them for the next time.”
