10th edition of Attakkalari India Biennial showcases how dancers can explore space, time and emotions
“This movement is the Attakkalari center for the arts. If you say dance, people have pre-conceived notions, that could be anklets, makeup and dress; for some others, it could mean tutu or ballet. I wanted to agitate at the centre,” says Jayachandran Palazhi, the founder and artistic director of the institution.
Whether it’s “Purushartha,” where they collaborate with music director and digital artist Kunihiko Matsuo from Japan, or “Chronotopia,” inspired by a story Silappadikaram, Attakkalari’s dance performances explore a new syntax.
The artists here are thinking artists who want to make art, not those who just aspire to perfect technique. For example, take Kendra’s latest production, ‘Sthavara-Jangma’, which premiered at the recently concluded 10th Attakkalari India Biennial in Bengaluru. It combined multimedia screenings with live performers depicting the trek of migrant laborers during the pandemic. The production brings together minds that resonate with modern sensibilities, and bodies that are intuitively and imaginatively expressed.
Digital technology has been a hallmark of Jayachandran’s works. “Digital art allows for non-linearity, and gives a lot of interactive possibility in a way that reflects our times. But I must emphasize that the body is still the center. Over the years, to underline it I made sure that the biennial presents multiple styles of work. Over the years, I have seen the audience become more sophisticated and ask more relevant questions.”
A young physics graduate from Thrissur, Jayachandran learned dance as a pastime while enjoying an active sporting life as an athlete and badminton and cricket player. A student of Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Kshemavati, he moved to Chennai for training in Bharatanatyam under Dhananjayan, and joined Kalakshetra as a part-time student to learn Kathakali.
He did not limit himself to dance but also went into Kalaripayattu and contemporary theatre. “Since everyone was using traditional terminology, I was eager to find one to approach contemporary themes.” It was then that he saw the work of Merce Cunningham, considered one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, and was attracted to his abstract language. She attended the London Contemporary Dance School and soon founded a dance company in London.
world tour
“I traveled to different parts of the world to experience working with different people; I chatted with some of the best theater directors, such as Peter Brooks and Ariane Mnuchkin, and choreographers such as Pina Bosch and Trisha Brown. I had the opportunity to see his works. These experiences and my own quest to create a contemporary language, drawing inspiration from Indian traditions, were my starting point. Being away from India gave me the opportunity to objectively analyze the tradition and then decide my own path,” he says.
Back in Bengaluru, Jayachandran realized that he needed input to think of choreography and movement in his own way. To come up with the original, experimental work, the Attakkalari Center for Movement Arts was established in 1992. His idea was to mystify contemporary dance and make it accessible to all classes.
This edition of the Biennial again proved to be a movement laboratory adapted to the reality of the times, imagining new futures for post-pandemic cultures.
It consists of a range of interdisciplinary movement works, with multimedia and digital art at the centre. Screenings and discussions took place around a special set of works and dance films by Australian choreographer Gary Stewart, courtesy of the Belfast International Arts Festival, who collaborated with the biennial for the first time this year. One of this year’s novel, cutting-edge works was CyberBallet, an interactive installation by Cyber Rauber, a Berlin-based VR theatre. It captures the movement of the dancer and then interprets it in virtual space with AI. With a VR headset, spectators can take part in the performance.
As much as Jayachandran lays emphasis on body and breath, he lays equal emphasis on technology. Not in a way that it replaces the tangibility of physical performance, but “not running away from the interconnected world.”
As they say, “This new reality is about finding a sense of equanimity. It’s about sharing our experiences, memories and fantasies. And technology will play a key role in facilitating that. You don’t have to be a slave.” , but as a sensitive and caring human being you should be able to use it in a measured way to express what you truly believe in.”
The author is a theater practitioner.
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