'Dance has its own global audience, economy and network today'

Bangalore has evolved to become a hub of contemporary dance – not just in India but in South Asia as well, says Jayachandran Palazhy, artistic director of the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts. The centre is all set to roll out the seventh edition of Attakkalari India Biennial, a 10-day international festival of contemporary dance, from February 6 to 15. More than 200 artistes from 20 countries will be presenting around 40 dance performances over the course of the festival, which will take place at three venues across the city: Ranga Shankara theatre, Chowdaiah Memorial Hall and Alliance Française de Bangalore
The Biennial (occurring once every two years) is widely considered to be South Asia’s largest international contemporary dance and movement arts festival.“The theme of this edition is Dance Connect -- a theme we find especially relevant in today’s context, when there is an increasing isolation of the self as well as of communities,” says Palazhy. “Dance is a fantastic way to connect individuals, communities and cultures. Urban living is very isolating, and dance is also a great way to connect with the self. It helps rewire yourself, engage with your surroundings and turns you into a wholesome being.”
The 10-day festival will see contemporary dance and digital performances from countries like New Zealand, France, Germany, China, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Korea, United Kingdom, South Asia and India. Some of the other highlights of the festival include the presence of 10 delegates from the European Dancehouse Network, a prestigious research and performance organization that accepts only two guest members from non-European countries, of which Attakkalari is one.
The festival will also showcase the work of young choreographers who are part of Attakkalari’s Facets Choreography Residency, conceived as a residency programme to facilitate connecting art practices, skills and ideas between 10 choreographers from Australia, India, Korea, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. The 10 performances choreographed by the residents will be showcased on February 7-8 as a shared evening performance.
“We want to highlight the fact that dance has its own global audience, network and economy. And Bangalore benefits enormously from being an important node of this network. Not only do our dancers and audiences benefit, but it helps create new studios, new infrastructure, and a culture of appreciation,” says Palazhy. During the previous festival in 2013, he says, all shows were sold out, proving that the Bengaluru audience is embracing contemporary dance in a huge way.
WHAT’S IN STORE
• Feb 6: Excerpts of Daniel Belton’s (New Zealand) audio-visual presentation Traces and the Tao Dance Theater’s (China) ensemble choreographies
• Feb 8: Systeme Castafiore’s (France) Les Chants de L’Umaï brings a riveting solo by Marcia Barcellos set in a fantastical world
• Feb 10: Bereishit Dance Company (Korea), performing a glowing mix of African and Asian dance and music
• Feb 12: Aditi Mangaldas’ (India) Timeless, where we see her amalgamation of kathak and contemporary dance
• Feb 13-14: Legendary choreographer Philippe Saire’s (Switzerland) Black Out is fascinating for the elements it converges – choreography and visual art
• Feb 15: Mandeep Raikhy (India) concludes the Biennial with a work investigating masculinity and its manifestations in contemporary India
For details, visit www.attakkalaribiennial.org