20 December,2016 09:44 AM IST | | Dipanjan Sinha
The act of jumping is a dichotomy. We jump to experience freedom but are bound by the truth of gravity. The performance, Conditions of Carriage, explores the mechanics of movement through this basic act, says Chennai-based dancer and choreographer Preethi Athreya
A moment from the rehearsal of Conditions of Carriage. Pic/Yamnik Cormier
"The act of jumping is a dichotomy. We jump to experience freedom but are bound by the truth of gravity. The performance, Conditions of Carriage, explores the mechanics of movement through this basic act," says Chennai-based dancer and choreographer Preethi Athreya.
For the performance, which will have its first show in Mumbai today, she put together a team of from diverse backgrounds in 2015. The 10 member team comprises boxers, parkours, theatre artistes, fitness experts, Classical, Jazz and Ballet dancers; all professions that involve jumping.
"The performers are very different from each other in background, ages and perspectives. The narrative of this performance is also told through the space that is created by the difference in their movements," Athreaya explains.
She adds that dance in recent years has been increasingly preoccupied with the beautiful, and the simple but vital action of jumping is also a political resistance to that. "The title Conditions of Carriage explains the idea in a literal and metaphorical sense: the way we carry ourselves," she signs off.
