Attakkalari India Biennial 2011

Traces by CcadoO, South Korea & Attakkalari, India

Every two years, Bangalore witnesses a one-of-a-kind celebration of contemporary dance. An initiative of the Bangalore-based Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, the 2011 edition of the Attakkalari India Biennial is set to start on Friday 28 January and will continue until Sunday 6 February, offering performances, a platform for young choreographers, seminars, art installations, films and master classes over a period of 10 days. By showcasing contemporary dance performers from around the world, the Biennial has become an important meeting place for international choreographers and dance enthusiasts. This year some of the participating artists are from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Australia, France, South Africa, Israel, Japan, Italy, South Korea and the USA.

The Japanese Garden by Compagnia TPO, Italy

Ningyo by Nicole Seiler, Switzerland

Venuri Perera, Sri Lanka

Kargah Theatre, Iran

For full details of the 10-day Attakkalari India Biennial 2011, visit the festival website.

The brainchild behind the festival is Attakkalari’s founder and Artistic Director, Jayachandran Palazhy, a trailblazer in the Indian contemporary dance scene.

Some time before the last Attakkalari India Biennial in 2009, I spoke to Jayachandran Palazhy about his dance journey and his thoughts on contemporary dance in India.

What is the contemporary dance scene like in India?

Contemporary dance in India is underdeveloped and has no financial support, facilities or training available. There are no journals or space for discourse. There is no institute in India to nurture contemporary creative thinking in dance. There are institutes which aim to keep traditional forms alive but there is no encouragement for creative thinking with regard to new dance forms. There are few performance and funding or sponsorship possibilities for contemporary dance in India. As a result, there is no direct access to this form.

How do you define your art form?

It is a time-based art form which is reflective of the contemporary predicament. It is characterised by a totality which encompasses movement, projections and interactive aspects, music, light and costumes.

For contemporary dance, an understanding of the body and its potential is necessary. Classical dance is limiting as the focus is on form only. There has to be a logic and rules within the work of art. With contemporary dance there is a need to develop a language which has to have a resonance.

Attakkalari is at the forefront of contemporary dance in India today. It is not Indian, but has a global, modern identity.

How do audiences respond to contemporary dance?

Audiences are not equipped to understand contemporary dance. But there is a new way of thinking which is being developed through access to information, via the Internet for example. The Indian middle class wants to be international. Young people are open to new things. Even if they don’t understand what they are seeing, they respond from the gut level. Times are changing quickly and contemporary dance has a good future in India. I don’t think we have to understand what we see. This is not necessary. Sensorial experience is enough.

What training does Attakkalari offer?

One of Attakkalari’s aims is to encourage and engage aspiring young dancers and choreographers. In 2006, we introduced a 3-year Diploma in Movement Arts and Mixed Media, the first of its kind in India. This innovative training programme was created in response to the need for professional training opportunities in contemporary dance, which is still a developing field in India. We also offers a one-year certificate programme in movement arts. Attakkalari is the first training centre for new dance forms. It invests in and empowers students. Our diploma teaches them how to create dance and introduces them to body care systems like yoga, Feldenkreis, kalaripayattu and also capoeira. These are different approaches to the body and movement.

Why did you decide to start your dance company and school in Bangalore?

Kochi didn’t have the economy to support our work. Bombay was too commercial and I didn’t fancy Delhi. Chennai is too conservative. Bangalore is a welcoming city with an open and supportive attitude. It’s an international centre where it’s easy to mingle. Also the temperate climate is ideal for training.

What role does technology play in your work?

Technology has been around for a long time and started with the lighting of a lamp. Digital technology offers a non-linear structure resembling the mind which darts from the past to the future and never stays constantly in the present. The stage is a limited space, much like an empty canvas on which you can paint. 3D images offer a 3rd dimension, while time is a 4th dimension and energy is the 5th. Energy is created through the dancers, and the accent is provided by the energy of music.

Technique is relative: someone may be able to jump 6 feet, but more height is available through technology. Technology doesn’t make a dance, it helps it. The stage is a make-believe world and the body is an instrument to deliver the imagination. The audience’s imagination is key so it also plays a part in a performance.

Visit: www.attakkalari.org

How to watch contemporary dance

When we’re confronted with an abstract work of art, be it a painting, a sculpture or a dance performance, we often don’t know what to think of it. We don’t understand it. So often we don’t like it. This is because we tend to like what we know.

When we’ve been conditioned to think or see things in a certain way, we find it a challenge to appreciate something we’re unfamiliar with. We feel we have to understand something in order to appreciate it. We tend to want to respond with our head rather than with our senses.

When we watch a classical dancer performing, we use a yardstick to measure the dancer’s technique, and another to appraise his or her skills in abhinaya, etc. But when watching contemporary dance, we have no yardstick – so we feel lost. We don’t know what to think, or how to evaluate what we’re seeing. (Image left: Kalpana Raghuraman in In Between Skin)

For this reason, the first step to appreciate contemporary dance is to have an open mind. Forget what you know. Don’t think. Feel. Ask yourself what you feel as you watch. Is it pleasant? Unpleasant? Do you feel excitement, boredom, disgust, amusement?

In contemporary dance there are often no expressions or abhinaya, no fancy costume or jewellery – this is because the dancer is simply an instrument for movement. It’s the movement that counts and not the dancer.

It’s also important to consider the context of contemporary dance. Contemporary dance developed as a rebellion against the hierarchy and restrictions of classical dance. It is often a means of exploration, a way for choreographers to make discoveries about movement, about themselves, about life. More importantly, it’s about them finding their own voice.

I recently spoke to two dancers who trained in Indian classical dance but are now exploring contemporary dance. I asked them why they have moved to this dance form. Kalpana Raghuraman told me: “I am de-conditioning my body to let it find it’s own voice. I want to see what comes from myself.” Jayachandran Palazhy, Artistic Director of Attakkalari said: “Bharata Natyam is not related to my time and what I want to say. It relates to mythology. I want to find my own language to express what’s important to me in the present day and time.” (Image right: Jayachandran Palazhy in Purushartha - by CD Chitrak)

To understand contemporary dance, it also helps to understand where the choreographer is coming from and what they want to say. Read up on the choreographer, get the programme notes, go speak to him or her after the show and ask questions.

Finally, don’t just see one performance of contemporary dance and then give up. “The more we watch, the more we learn.” This is also true of contemporary dance. After you’ve seen several performances by different choreographers you will develop a yard stick to assess the dance – even though you may not understand it!

This article was published on www.narthaki.com in September 2009 following a week-long dance writing workshop organised by Narthaki in Chennai in July 2009.

Photos courtesy of Kalpana Raghuraman and Attakkalari.

Watch Chronotopia by Attakkalari: