A Seat At The Table

C h a n d e n i e G o b a r d h a n

Chandenie Gobardhan is a 24-year-old Dutch dance artist and choreographer based in the UK. Her training and movement vocabulary has been enriched by many techniques including Bharatanatyam, Hip Hop, Locking and contemporary dance.

She completed her BA at Fontys University of Fine and Performing Arts before moving to the UK to study MA Contemporary Dance Performance (VERVE) at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Since graduating from NSCD, she has been working with several dance companies and choreographers throughout the UK.

On the 11 of March 2022, Chandenie premiered her new work CREATOR at Riley Theatre, Leeds, as part of the Northern Connections 2022 programme. This premiere was the result of a choreographic residency at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

As someone that is passionate about fighting for new narratives and storytellers in the contemporary dance field, it was such exciting news to hear I would be taking one of my first steps as a choreographer in such a professional environment as that of Northern School of Contemporary Dance. All while being supported by leading figures in the contemporary dance field such as Dance City and Serendipity.

Being part of a programme like this is so meaningful as I believe changes in structure can not be made in the spaces I am not in and tables I am not invited to. With any work I am a part of, I want to encourage other artists to step into these spaces. Having this mentality I was determined to take advantage of every tool handed to me while taking part in this programme.

Typically my work is led by connecting stories and knowledge I have gathered on my path in the Hindustani diaspora. As both a dance artist and choreographer, I am constantly trying to explore different ways of building bridges where others might not see that possibility.

During the choreographic residency for Northern Connections, I took the time to explore Trimurti - the layered concept of cosmogony discussed in Hinduism. The concept’s use of symbolism leaves space for many interpretations. This includes one of viewing Trimurti as a representation of the cycle of life. The essence of the concept, however, lies in the phases of the cycle: creation, preservation and destruction.

In this process, I focussed on the phase of creation. With this phase comes the careful consideration and detail in the intricacy of thoughts, speech and movement. This consideration was not only applied to the process in the studio but also outside of the studio. Which translated to silent mornings, fasts and meditations throughout the day.

Northern Connections allowed me the luxury of working with other artists. One of them is Mithun Gill - a British born Kathak dancer. It was so valuable being able to translate my ideas onto another body. The intricate movements accompanied by quick counts and rhythmic changes required a dancer with strong rhythmic instincts. As the process went on I arrived to a movement style that echoed the phase of creation.

With this movement style, CREATOR challenges the watcher to consider how the most intricate movements can impact the relationships of the space in and around us. When taking responsibility in carefully considering our thoughts, words and actions it will allow us to create a world we want to live in. Ultimately, we are all creators.