Footloose on the Streets

Shivaswamy is one of the choreographers whose dance piece will be performed at malls,galleries and other public spaces,as well as the conventional stage in Delhi as part of Ignite! Festival of Contemporary Dance. The festival has been organised by Gati Dance Forum later this month.

The second edition of Ignite! intends to draw the audience out of theatre hall settings and challenge their senses in alternative spaces. “People consider contemporary dance to be alien and elite and we wanted to take that tag away,” says Anusha Lall,artistic director of Gati Dance Forum,“We have three segments to take dance out to the city — flash mobs,public screenings of dance films that have been made with the intention of getting artistes to work with the city of Delhi,and performances by emerging artistes.”

Among the performances,the Ramayana’s anti-hero Ravana will emerge through Maya Krishna Rao’s Ravanama,his 10 heads jostling as he turns from a scholar to a musician,from a lover of beauty,to a supreme warrior and the unparalleled disciple of Shiva.

Chennai-based contemporary choreographer Padmini Chettur’s solo piece A Beautiful Thing 2 will revolve around a light installation at the National School of Drama. “My piece will be placed alongside a light installation by Zulekha Chaudhuri,” informs Chettur.

The piece has no text and minimal sound. Delhi-based Navtej Singh Johar and German choreographer Ben J Riepe have collaborated on a piece,currently titled LIVE ,that explores eroticism and repression in the context of dance. Among other performers are the Bangalore-based Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts,Nrityagram,and Chitrasena Dance Company from Sri Lanka.

The Ignite! festival will be held from Oct 31-Nov 4. Contact: 9971406113