Image: Sam Kumar Photography, India 2012
India Tour 2012 Page
1
Press coverage & Feedback
Contents Press Reviews Articles & Previews Listings
4 15 32
Feedback
2
35 37 40
Page
School Connect Workshops Social Media Other
Press
Page
3
Reviews
Page
4
23 October – The Hindu
Page
5
26 October – The Hindu - Banglore
Page
6
28 October - The Sunday Standard - New Delhi
Page
7
29 October – The Hindu
8
5 November – The Telegraph
Page
5 November – Calcutta Times
Page
9
5 November – Times of India
16 November – The Hindu
Viscerally vibrant LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Imaging lifeDancer Matthew Robinson in Scottish Dance Theatre's "Luxuria"; a scene from “Dog”.Photos: Andy Ross Impulse, a season of U.K. Contemporary Dance, has so far given Indians a chance to witness the redoubtable solo dancers Akram Khan and Aakash Odedra and the Scottish Dance Theatre which undertook a maiden tour to India. Performing under the aegis of the Delhi International Dance Festival at the Kamani, the group enthralled a packed hall with the sheer vitality of their Contemporary Dance, described as “moving, thought provoking and lifeenhancing”. Starting with a duet, “Drift” choreographed by James Wilton where the very original choreography with amazingly agile dancers evoked different tones — tender at times when the two dancers came together and less so when the dancers moved away from each other — the dance seemed to favour movements largely at the ground level.
But the very flagrant imaging of physicality of love had a few eyebrows raised even in the Delhi audience.
Page
“Luxuria”, the last presentation conceived by Liv Lorent, saw dancers in groups in images of love in togetherness (sambhoga sringar!) The quality of dancing and the achingly passionate man/woman encounters needed no explanations, even for those not familiar with Contemporary Western dance.
10
Very spirited and demandingly vigorous, the next choreography by Hofesh Shechter was provocatively titled “Dog”. Starting with the light blue suggesting life in the sea, the dance seemed a journey in evolution where man wonders what he is. And one saw the creeping crawling movements of various living creatures, the dancers showing phenomenal energy. As he tries to know and understand what he is, the dog, albeit its very noble nature, surely cannot represent the height of man’s evolutionary aspirations! In India such a journey would automatically consider the highest point as “God”. Was the title a deliberate, ironical misnomer?
13 December – The Hindu
Spellbinding skills and styles Nita Vidyarthi
Scottish Dance Theatre.
Page
The British Council brings to India several productions of contemporary dance of the United Kingdom seen in the major cities of the country, entitled ‘Impulse’. Built around five key tours by renowned UK dance companies over almost six months, ‘Impulse’ is a season of the best contemporary work by established legends with the most exciting up-and-coming fresh talents.
11
The UK’s dance companies showcase works of legends, talent and novel ideas through ‘Impulse.’
The first in the series was Akram Khan dance company’s tour with breathtaking performance by Khan that left every city spellbound with his Kathak recital and the landmark contemporary work, ‘Gnosis.’ The next to enthral audiences on its first ever tour of India was Scotland’s national contemporary dance company, Scottish Dance Theatre, with three acclaimed choreographies at Kalamandir, Kolkata. Their performances have been described as risk-taking, collaborative, nurturing, exciting and in addition, the evening proved to be heart-achingly beautiful. Their show began with ‘Drift,’ choreographed by James Wilton, where two dancers embraced symbolic movements to express the unruly feelings of love lost and love gained, coming close only to separate and the realisation that even after the ‘drift’ they may be together. Angularity of upper torso and stretched but fluid hand movements and patterns with some display of contact improvisation that revealed loneliness and closeness passionately. In ‘Dog,’ choreographed by Hofesh Shechter, the dancers swayed intensely between celebration, uncertainty and loss in love. A philosophical work, ‘Luxuria,’ with Liv Lorent’s award-winning choreography, displayed contentment in love with sensual movements immersed in the romanticism and lyricism of the music. The slow, graceful and flowing glides of the dancers showed their wonderful body control and competence along with symptomatic stances. The breaking down of the dancers one by one in rhythmic isolation following the music, was visually absorbing and filled with emotion. Rising new sensation Aakash Odedra’s spell at the G.D. Birla Sabhagar, Kolkata, the third dance performance, ‘Rising,’ in the series is undoubtedly a long-lived one. Dubbed as the rising new sensation in South Asian Dance, Aakash is one of the most exciting young contemporary dancers and choreographers in the UK. Initially a trained Kathak and Bharatanatyam dancer and a student of Akram Khan, Aakash’s opening Kathak performance was choreographed by him. It showed his command over the dance form especially rhythm, distinguishing him as a dancer of high calibre, who thought independently. The evening saw Aakash perform solo works by three legendary choreographers with a diverse mix of ideas and movement styles channelled through his execution with variable energy.
Page
‘Cut,’ choreographed by Russell Maliphant with Andy Cowton’s light design, had an interesting marriage with Aakash’s vocabulary, flow and form and the dynamics of his movement with
12
‘In the Shadow of Man,’ by Akram Khan, began with an almost dark stage and a gradual warm yellow light landing on the back and chest of Aakash. With shoulder moves supported by sound and Michael Hull’s light design, the dancer travelled into a slow walk, fell and slid on his knees with the body moving from curled, rolled shape into a creeping and crawling motion on the floor that created an animal imagery.
interception by light. The dancer articulated through a corridor, which reduced the performance area in which the dancer moved defined by bright, parallel and horizontal strips of light. Geometry played a major role in the choreography of this novel piece. Forward moving and energetic turns that “cut”, through the beams of light, from one end of the stage to another relied on exquisite choreography, a continuous crackling sound and a fantastic light design tailored for the dancer’s body and exhilarating execution. The final item, ‘Constellation,’ was a visual delight. Choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, the dancer in white, executed floor rolls, pirouettes amidst numerous hanging bulbs strung about the dark stage, and moved smoothly, skilfully with high energy accompanied by delicate strokes of the piano.
Page
13
He finally settled with one while others started to flash. Olga Wojciechowska’s dazzling light design, Larbi’s marvellous choreography and Aakash’s supreme execution made this piece unforgettable. What is praiseworthy is the versatility and ability of the dancer to comprehend and execute spontaneously each piece of different mode and style. A beautiful, elegant presentation that was a joy to watch.
Press
Page
14
Articles/Previews
Page
15
8 November – Asian Age
3 October – Indian Express
3 October - Indian Express
Page
16
5 October – STV News
Page
17
5 October – The Stage
Page
18
5 October – Travel & Leisure
10 October – The Hindu (part 1)
Here and Now The
Hindu presents a unique performance of contemporary dance by the Scottish Dance Theatre on October 21.
The
Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) is poised to perform in Chennai, but those expecting reels, Highland Flings and bagpipes will be in for a surprise. SDT is “Scottish in its geography, rather than its dance style,” the company’s acting Artistic Director James MacGillivray tells The Hindu. SDT, widely regarded as the country’s leading contemporary dance company, began life in 1986 as a community-based performance group in Dundee with a strong commitment to outreach work. “Creative Learning” continues to be a cornerstone in the company’s credo; in Chennai, SDT will conduct workshops for students, teachers and young people with disabilities.
Chennai performance marks the company’s all-India premiere. Their four-city India tour of Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata will be presented by the company’s full complement of 10 acclaimed, full-time dancers, picked from around the world. The
“The programme of work we are bringing to India highlights the vast range of our dancers,” says MacGillivray who leads SDT’s India tour. “Their technical and partnering skills are pushed to the limits, as much as their performance skills, and the ability to connect with something true within themselves.”
Page
19
Three pieces The performance features three pieces from SDT’s repertoire: the romantic and visually sumptuous ‘Luxuria’ by Liv Lorent; the high-risk duet ‘Drift’ by James Wilton; and the witty ‘DOG’ by Hofesh Shechter. These three choreographers are acknowledged to be among the most interesting, currently creating work in the U.K.
10 October – The Hindu (part 2) The company’s working style is to commission choreographers over a five-week period to create a piece, after which they return to their own dance companies. Then it is up to SDT’s dancers and artistic team to preserve the choreographers’ concepts during the piece’s performance life-span. When needed, choreographers are invited again to remind and refresh the dancers. “As a rep company it is crucial that we keep the individual identities of choreographers, otherwise we risk being ‘general’, and non-specific,” says MacGillivray. Each choreographer’s approach is different in presentation and intent. For example, Schechter says DOG “started with a simple idea of having very hard movement, and then very soft, quiet, earthy movement. When you start to create movement, it immediately throws a world of images into your head and then you start to translate them into movement.” Liv Lorent, on the other hand, says, “I’m interested in an emotional commonplace. I have always found great solace in a book, a painting, a piece of music or theatre that seems to express perfectly the unutterable inside me, and I suppose with dance I’m trying to offer the same possibilities for engagement and personal connection.” “We do not intend to tell stories but, often, strong narrative themes will be woven through the works,” says MacGillivray, himself a former dancer with SDT. The alchemy of transmuting the choreographer’s intent into visual communication with the audience lies with the dancers, whose own interpretation of the piece becomes crucial. About ‘Drift’, dancer Natalie Trewinnard says, “I feel that the piece is a snapshot of a couple’s relationship; by the end they have moved forward but have not been able to resolve their issues.” She initially performed the piece with MacGillivray but the baton has passed on. However, when a work has been created around specific bodies and performance abilities how are other dancers able to perform it? MacGillivray answers that just as language allows many ways of saying the same thing, so does dance. The trick when working with new dancers is “to find the ways we can express the same ideas, within the language of the choreographer.” Complex partnering Specifically with ‘Drift’, “the duet requires a lot of trust between the couple, and the partnering is complex and relentless. It is important, for safety and aesthetics, that the new dancers are able to adapt the work to suit their bodies.” MacGillivray shares that the company is keen to discover more about Indian contemporary dance, its organic evolution and its roots in traditional Indian dance forms and martial arts. “I hope that we can learn more of this art form from the artists we meet — contemporary dance is about ‘now’, and India is striving to state what is important to its culture ‘now’.”
Page
For tickets Tickets are priced at Rs.300/200/100. Student passes are priced at Rs. 50. They can be purchased online from www.thehindu.com/SDT, www.indianstage.in, www.bookmyshow.com and www.ticketnew.com. Helpline: 9841416933
20
(The performances in Chennai and Bangalore are presented by The Hindu in association with The British Council and the Scottish Government. In Chennai, it will be staged on October 21, 7.30 p.m. at the Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, Harrington Road, Chetpet, and in Bangalore, on October 25, 7.30 p.m. at Chowdiah Hall.)
Page
21
12 October – The Indian Stage
Page
22
19 October – Mint
23
23 October – The Hindu - Banglore
Page
22 October – The Hindu - Chennai
24 October – Scottish Government website
Scottish Dance Theatre arrives India Scotland’s principal dance company, Scottish Dance Theatre, has arrived in India to perform three celebrated productions and hold workshops with children in four cities as part of an outreach trip which has been two years in the making. Established in 1986 as Dundee Rep Theatre Dance Company, SDT has gone on to become Scotland’s national contemporary dance company and a major player in the UK. Now with nine dancers and two apprentice dancers, the company is gathering pace on the international dance-scape following acclaimed performances in China, The Netherlands, Italy, Denmark and the USA. Now, Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) is heading to India from 18 October – 4 November 2012, in a trip that will encompass performances, professional workshops for dance organisations, workshops with school children and networking. The tour has been two years in the making for the company; in 2010 SDT’s then Artistic Director, Janet Smith, along with General Manager Amanda Chinn and International Producer Nelson Fernandez, went on a research visit to India, with the support of a British Council Connections through Culture grant. During that visit, they met with dozens of inspiring Indian artists, producers, presenters, and media contacts, developing collaborative partnerships and establishing creative relationships. In the ensuing two years, SDT has been developing the tour of Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and New Delhi, working with Teamwork productions and arts organisations in India who are acting as host partners. Speaking of the benefits to the Dundee-based company, SDT’s acting artistic director, James MacGillivray, said: “We look forward to cultivating fruitful relationships with the artists we will work with in India, to sharing a cultural exploration of dance through both our performances and our extensive outreach programme.
Page
Each SDT performance in India will feature work from three of the most talented choreographers currently producing work in the UK – Hofesh Schechter, Liv Lorent and James Wilton – all highlighting a range if different approaches to dance making whilst offering audiences a diverse programme of the highest quality.
24
This experience will enrich the creative development of the artists within SDT, and provide a more vibrant palette for the creation of art here in Scotland.”
LUXURIA choreographed by Liv Lorent - Liv Lorent’s awardwinning LUXURIA is a majestic work that’s both witty and tender, exploring desire and our search for fulfilment. Visually arresting, cinematic and with a haunting classical soundtrack, LUXURIA is a feast for the senses. DRIFT choreographed by James Wilton - Pushing the dancers to their physical limits, this powerful duet choreographed by James Wilton explores loneliness and closeness, absolute commitment and high risk trust. Sometimes the people we care about the most are the people we hurt the most.
DOG choreographed by Hofesh Shechter - DOG is an exhilarating piece that bounds between riotous celebrations and uncertain calm. Created specially for SDT by Hofesh Shechter - one of the most talked about choreographers of the moment, DOG is honest and raw, witty and sophisticated.
Schedule of performances: Chennai Workshops with dance schools - 20 and 21 October Performance - 21 October, 7.00 pm at Lady Andal, Chennai Bangalore Workshops with dance schools - 23 and 26 October Performance - 25 October, 7.0pm at Choudiah, Bangalore New Delhi Workshops with dance schools - 28 and 29 October Performance - 30 October, 7.00pm at Kumani Auditorium, New Delhi Kolkata
Page
25
Workshops with dance schools - 31 and 2 November Performance - 1 and 2 November, 7.00pm at Kala Mandir, Kolkat
Page
26
26 October - Time Out Delhi
Page
27
27 October – Times of India
Page
28
28 October – Times of India Kolkata
Page
29
8 November – The Asian Age
20 November 2012 – ShonaRobinson.com
Shona Congratulates Scottish Dance Theatre On Successful India Tour
Shona Robison MSP, Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, visited Scottish Dance Theatre at its home, Dundee Rep, [Monday 19 November]. The company has just returned from a successful tour of India funded by the Scottish Government, the British Council, Creative Scotland, the GREAT Campaign, Hindu Newspaper and the India Council for Cultural Relations. SDT had sell out performances in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore and ran an extensive educational outreach programme in all four cities – reaching school audiences, nondance teachers, underprivileged children, children with additional support needs – as well as working with new and established dance organisations on the ground. Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, visited the company to celebrate its recent success but also to acknowledge the important role that the company of dancers, choreographers and educators play in contributing to the wealth of work that is currently being made in Scotland. Scottish Dance Theatre is highly regarded as an arts ambassador on a local, national and international level.
Page
She added “It’s fantastic to know that this Dundee-based company has had such an impact in India and I was pleased meet the members of the company and hear first-hand their stories.”
30
Shona said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to meet dancers from the Scottish Dance Theatre to congratulate them in person on their recent successful tour of India”
Press
Page
31
Listings
5 October First City
11 October Spice Route
25 October – Deccan Herald 26 October The Times of India
26 October Deccan Herald 28 October The Sunday Guardian
25 October – Bangalore Mirror
Page
32
31 October The Bengal Post
2 November The Bengal Post
1 November The Bengal Post
1 November Hindustan Times
2 November The Telegraph Metro
33
2 November Anand Bazaar Patrika Kolkata
1 November The Statesman
Page
31 October The Statesman
Page
34
Feedback
Children’s feedback from School Connect Workshops Orange Speech Bubbles - Lec Dem November 1, 2012 After the performances, I was simply in AWE. Thank Goodness I came for this…… Gooptu
- Ahon
Very elegant! The theme which was running through my mind was “breaking free”. Was very impressive and inspiring. Thank you! -Ritabrata Chakraborty Dance has always been important in my life. After this experience it has become a part of my dreams. - Suhrita Amazing performance. The dance expresses a thousand words. – Chirag Shukla Look forward to tomorrow’s show! - Riyan Your dance move really made our minds work, Great job!!! - Nikhil Shresth The performance was beautiful, very passionate, raw…..inspirational! - Rinchen Chogyal Lama It really portrayed a story without words. Distinct clear emotions. - Nikhil Ghosh It was an amazing experience watching their dance. I was just mesmerised. It was the best experience till now. – Yatharth Singh I realized how to think freely and learnt to be more confident. – Ameya Sule I really liked the impromptu performances. Keep up the good work!! - Varun Shah It was a very creative idea. Overall I found that the performances were appealing and entertaining. – Ansh Kaul Amazing!! Outstanding performance!! Thank you for such a great experience!! - Nikhil Seth They were very fluent and creative and they were presenting their emotions and imagination beautifully. – Jatin This speech bubble says whatever you want it to say! (No, seriously. I wish I danced more often) - Sahoo!
Wonderful experience. Enjoyed it!! Thank you!! - Srutarshi Adhikari
Page
Great improvisation and good dancing. – Samar Awesome! Extremely interesting!! - Riyan
35
Very fluid, and creative art form. An amazing way to express one’s feelings. – Aditya Raj
Something new. A good experience. Their fluency. Their compassion. – Pradyumun Really moving and inspirational stories were woven into each performance. – Oishik Ray Very entertaining and enjoyable!! - Avishek Moulik A very new experience! Very interesting and inspirational! - Nikhil Patnaik Very creative and inspiring. A fun and learnful experience. - Farhan
Yellow Speech Bubbles SDT – Tech and Show 2 Nov, 2012 It was a completely different experience with the lights and music – Ameya Sule, Akshar Great having you here, hope to see you soon. You guys (SDT) completely changed my views on dance. – Samar Singh, Akshar Every dancer was amazing, love to see them again Nikhil Shrestha I loved the show. It looked more realistic (than the tech) I lived the performance today – Pradyumn Agarwal, Akshar Wild. Mystery. Lust. Beauty. Grace. Colour. Dynamics. Sound. Lights. DANCE! We saw it all – Ahon Gooptu A really unforgettable evening – I wish to thank Ranan for this opportunity. Simply inspiring – Oishik Ray This was the most wonderful experience of my life. Thank you – Jatin Chugh The dance was beautiful and it would have been incomplete without the beautiful ladies. Hats off! – Yatharth Singh, Akshar The experience was great. The lights, sound, costumes were he icing to the cake. – Ansh Kaul, Akshar Insane technique, lights and music. Woohoo - Farhan Zaki Usage of lights was EPIC. Scottish Dance Theatre all the way!
Naomi!!! <3
- Varun Shah
Naomi was the BEST! It was a life experience – Nikhil Patnaik Amazing – Chirag Shukla Amazing performance. Really breathtaking. Awesome. Really nice emotions – Nikhil Ghosh
Page
Absolutely worth the wait! It just kept getting better& better. Spell-binding – Riyan
36
Amazing! Out of words!!! – Avishek Moulik
Comments from Facebook truly amazing and magical.. excellent.. enjoyed throughout..! Luxuria was majestic. luv the music ... A truly phenomenal experience...THANK YOU SDT! Sensational experience . . . especially LUXURIA . . . it was truly brilliant. magical!! british council and scottish dance theatre (sdt) bring to a range of educational workshops on thursday 1 november 2012 at sande hall, calcutta school of music, 6b sunny park, kolkata 700019 . I joined yesterday to this workshop....... very nice workshop ..... from M.C.Kejrewall vidyapith, lilua, howrah We really enjoyed all the three performances this evening at Kala Mandir, Kolkata. It was a great experience. Thanks to SDT group, the organizers, British Council and Lexmark Kolkata. We hope to see SDT group performing once again in India and in the City of Joy... Kolkata. m so lucky got d chance to c u guyz, thanks for the workshop 11/03/2012 n it was mesmerizing ... :) Can't wait to see you perform this evening. Wishing you all my very best. Cheers Loved it Loved the show and had a great time...... Lookin forward for more show for the Sotish Dance Theatre group in Bangalore.... Love to come again and again..... you were awesome... UK- India cultural relationship would have never been such successful without you. Thank you so much: from me and the whole Re-imagine and Global Change maker team. Happy to have you here. One if the best performance I have ever seen! Hats off to all of you'll!
Page
Look at our eyes glowing after watching stunning performance by Scottish Dance Theatre .... It was really awesome.. Superb lighting effects, soothing music & mesmerizing dance performance... Although i could not make out the story/message it was worth attending...
37
The workshop was fantastic, i thoroughly enjoyed and learnt good moves. and you guys were awesome..
WOW...it was a mind blowing show by Scottish Dance Theatre...at Kala Mandir...there is huge difference between watching then live and in youtube... Every moment I thought.. why can't I rewind... Thank you Chandra Shekhar Sengupta for informing us about the show... Anirban Nandy Amit Paul Sanjit Paul Rabishankar Sengupta Saw awesome dance performance by Scottish Dance Theatre at Kala Mandir.nEnjoyed all 3 dance perfomances Drift, Dog and Luxuria.I have not seen anyone dance like them Witnessed 3 breathtaking and mesmerizing contemporary dance routines at Kala Mandir Kolkata !! Scottish Dance Theatre ,Splendid it was!! :) You're doing a fantastic job as cultural ambassadors and promoting contemporary Scotland. Scotland should be proud! Amazing performance by SDT dancers... Was great evening I loved urs performance in Bangalore today . It was a beautiful evening Njoyed watching Scottish Dance Live for the first time in Dance Theatre....Incredible performance by dancers..unimaginable flexibility n stamina....Enjoyed watching it.....Grt team of Dancers amazin team... I saw the show last night... Unbelievable skill and strength!! Loved it :D I also attended the workshop at The Swingers' Dance Company, Kilpauk this evening, and it was really enjoyable :):) A big thank you to the instructors! Thanks guys for such a show! Great performance with lot of coordination and body flexibility... All the three performances were amazing and well designed... Though there were some disappointing views from other audiences who came with their kids to watch the show, it was completely a different and great experience for people who r rather interested in talent and to know about the Scottish dance steps/theme...
Page
38
Thank you for a wonderful performance last evening . Great show guys
Page
39
Comments from Twitter
Other At the risk of sounding severely gushy, may I say that the SDT visit and workshops have had such a huge impact on both me and my dancers. The girls are so motivated and are constantly working and please do give Natalie and Joan a personalised huge thank you from my end. The workshop has really helped just spur everybody onward. Aparna Nagesh – British Council, India & Leader of High Kicks All Girl Dance Ensemble, Chennai
Thank you so much for helping to enable Scottish Dance Theatre to do a workshop in Chennai and provide tickets for girls and staff from CMCT to go to the performance. I have had this lovely thank you from Sundari who is the lady who choreographs and works with the girls in the hostel to produce the Christmas, Easter and other dance productions. It says it all. Karen Trewinnard I am writing this to inform you that the Scottish Dance Team visited CMCT on 20th October and it was a thrilling experience for us. They conducted one hour workshop for our staff, students, teachers and hostel children on Scottish music steps and expression. It was an hour of practical session. It was very useful for our children and staff. After lunch they had a tour of the ministry. On 21st evening 20 persons from CMCT went to see the Scottish Dance Theatre show. Though we had heavy rains on that day we went and enjoyed the show. The Theatre was fully packed. This dance was new to our people. The non-stop movements, steps, music, expression and body language were awesome. We are deeply grateful to you for sponsoring us for this programme and it was a great blessing for us to have the opportunity to see such type of dances. Our children in the orphanage also join with me to thank you for the same. With love,SUNDARI – CMCT Charity Sister, Chennai
Page
40
Scottish Dance theatre’s visit to India is the most successful event of our project “Re-imagine: cultural relationship between UK and India in the 21st century.” Cultural relationship between the two countries couldn’t have better than their journey. This was not only about performing and entertaining the Indian audiences but about teaching us as well. The workshops with school children and dance teachers were interesting, creative and very different from the traditional dance classes that we follow here in India. I am thankful to James MacGillivray for inviting me; I had a wonderful time experiencing the workshops. Their performances were so phenomenal that it is still very vivid and making me think about it. I wish all the very best to the Scottish Dance theatre team for all their future endeavours – Arpita Das, Global Change Maker on British Council ‘Reimagine UK/India’ project
12 January 2013 – High Kicks Dance Company blog The Scottish Dance Theatre Chapter There are a lot of great things about working with Aparna. Like I mentioned before, she is a brilliant teacher and an even more amazing friend with whom we’ve shared more than just dance knowledge with. This is going to sound annoyingly repetitive but there’s no other way to put it. We’re all like family. And apart from all this, one of the great things about working with Appu, is the number of amazing opportunities she gives us, and the amount of exposure, both life and dance related which we get from her. Ever since she joined hands with BC (British Council) for their dance season, Impulse, she has taken us through all her experiences there, and more than anything else has always tried to look for those windows of opportunities where we can gain some firsthand training and experience from the best.
On that particular note, guess who we met? This is the part where I tantalizingly build up the suspense and drag you through a drawn out process of hints and not-so-subtle clues, but I’m going to skip that and get straight to the point because it’s just too exciting to hold in.
Page
41
We got to meet, *insert drum roll* THE SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE!!!!
That’s right! SDT had come down to Chennai to perform as a part of Impulse, and thanks to Appu, they conducted a two hour workshop for us which was heavily on a lot of floor work and contact improvisation based techniques. I guess I should tell you a little more about SDT before launching into a breathless, awed monotone about them. Combining world-class dance theatre performances with an inclusive and innovative outreach programme, Scottish Dance Theatre presented dance that was moving, thought provoking, and life-enhancing. Scottish Dance Theatre, is Scotland’s first national contemporary dance company and they brought to India three acclaimed choreographies: Luxuria by Liv Lorent, Dog by Hofesh Shechter and Drift by James Wilton. I cannot do justice to describing the heart breaking beauty of their performances. In the darkness around me I heard Garima who was sitting on my right take a sharp intake of breath and that sound seemed to reverberate throughout the auditorium, as every single person was held captive, enthralled and moved to tears by their performances. The best part of their acts was not only the uniqueness or the risky movements or the incredibly sound technique. Their success lay in how they managed to weave one step seamlessly into the other, like magic in the air, and how their limbs seems to have a mind of their own and yet were controlled by the expressiveness of the face and the unspoken language of passion and the truth of storytelling. The fluidity yet firmness of their every move caused an excitement to stir in the pit of my belly as a rush of overwhelming emotions spread from the crown of my head till the tip of my toes. Ah, well. When we met them at the end of the performance my usually never-at-a-loss-for-words tongue was tied with admiration and awe. I kept my mouth firmly shut so that I would not end up saying something fascinatingly eloquent like ‘hmmiuna hammina hummmna’ or something similar. :/ So you can imagine the way we shamelessly screamed and squealed when Appu told us that they would be doing a workshop for us and the excitement with which we were all waiting from them to arrive.
And in the end, we even learned one small bit of choreography from their act ‘Dog’ and then we, High Kicks, performed a small part of one of our Acts for ‘Leap’ for them, and we were humbled and
Page
We experienced the art of telling a tale through dance firsthand. ‘Nose to the grindstone’ would be the most apt expression as we rolled, jumped, leapt, lifted and did all sorts of things that we thought we could never do. Well, at least I always thought I was incapable of all the things that we were taught that day, and was surprised and happy to see how a little technique applied with a strong will, could work wonders. Minutes turned into hours and there we were, without even realizing that time had flown by, the floor moist and damp with the sweat of a good day’s work and all of us panting and…glowing, literally! Exhilaration and satisfaction would have best described the expression on my face and all the faces around me as well!
42
The workshop was conducted by Joan Cleville and Natalie Trewinnard. More humble, down to earth people, who are as famous and accomplished as they are, would be hard to find. They put us at ease with their casual friendliness and polite professionalism. Within seconds, any inhibitions were stripped and unceremoniously discarded as we were moving along the dance floor, discovering different dimensions to ourselves and our bodies.
pleased by their response and positive encouragement and energy. We learned a lot of things on that beautiful Monday morning. And we woke up the nest day with not merely aches and pains. No. We woke up with awareness. We woke up with determination, and more than anything else, we woke up with a frantic desire to learn more, to do more, to explore more, to discover more, to hurt more, to spin more, to LEAP more!!
And there we all stood. Family. Ready and eager to work harder than we ever have, to take that one spring, and leap.
Page
With humility comes a never ending need and fierce, blazing thirst, to work hard.
43
“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.” ― Rumi