Attakkalari Biennial India 2009, which gets off to a start tomorrow, brings together dancers from Korea, Kenya, Portugal and eight other countries. Jayachandran Palahzy, artistic director of Attakkalari Centre, offers a behind-the-scenes view
Attakkalari Biennial India 2009, which gets off to a start tomorrow, brings together dancers from Korea, Kenya, Portugal and eight other countries. Jayachandran Palahzy, artistic director of Attakkalari Centre, offers a behind-the-scenes view
You have selected 21 groups of dancers from all over the world for this festival. What was the criterion for selection?
Cornelia Albrecht and Ekahrdt Thieman, who run a professional dance company in Germany and I, watched videos that the troupes had sent us. We looked for intensity and creativity among other things.u00a0
The highlight of the festival, you would say, is...
There are so many exciting things we've lined up. There's dance, there are films and seminars. For example, we will screen Adoor Gopalkrishnan's films. Our aim is to keep the spirit of the festival fresh and original. The artiste could be German but when he/she is performing an African dance, he/ she stays true to the roots of the dance form.
You've using technology extensively in this festival. How will that add to the audience experience and the performance?
Traditionally, when the stage was set for a performance, materials like wood and metal were used. When we use digital projection, the entire act is transformed to a larger than life scale. The images change according to the movement and the emotions of the dancers. Technology helps us achieve a non-linear effect, which enhances performance. The audience interaction becomes possible. The audience becomes a part of the show.u00a0
What inspired you to set up a centre for the movement arts?
I am a Bharatanatyam and Kathakali dancer. When I got into contemporary dancing, I was no more a young boy. I had already worked with Chandralekha, the legendary dancer whose ideas challenged convention. I realised there has to be a wheel existing, which connects different dance forms, and where something new can be created. That's when I thought of contemporary dance. In 1987, I went to London to learn ballet, stagecraft, Afro-Caribbean dance, etc. When I came back I discovered there wasn't any such facility, where people could learn contemporary dance in India. That's how we started Attakkalari classes in 1992. The full-fledged institute came into existence in 2001.
You were talking about Afro-Caribbean dance. Could you explain?
This dance form teaches you to work with gravity, whereas other dance forms work against gravity. Africa has dances that are distinctly different from each other. For example, Yoruba, a West African dance, has polyrhythms. Your feet are in different rhythm, and so are your hips and your shoulders.u00a0
Attakkalari involves a great deal of rigour. What's your advice to aspiring dancers?
In order to be a professional in any field, you have to practice and work hard. Attakkalari is no different. The body has to be in fine shape. You have to be athletic and creative. The basic idea is to remove any kind of resistance from the body and make it flexible. A dancer should have a calm mind even while performing a tough or demanding dance.
You offer classes for corporate organisations. What has been your experience with young urban professionals?
A lot of them seek us out for relaxation programmes. We organise workshops for them. We also offer transmedia-technical support for stage performances. We have helped in setting up some really high-tech stages. Chronotopia, your show at the festival, we're told, is inspired by a Tamil poem, Chilapatikaram. Why this particular poem?
The protagonist in the poem is a woman. She lives in a world of changing relationships and speaks up against the system that sanctions consumerism, war and globalization.u00a0 I was struck by her intensity and her rebellion.
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