US dancers-on-cables dazzle crowd

At 120 metres above the ground,suspended horizontally from two nylon cables with light winds at play,maintaining ones balance can be a challenge.

At 120 metres above the ground,suspended horizontally from two nylon cables with light winds at play,maintaining ones balance can be a challenge. But dancer Damara Ganley is not distracted as she performs a double step to the background score of a 50s track,Aint got no swing. This,while she is inches away from the glass panels of the LIC building at Connaught Place.

This was a technically demanding routine. There is a lot of strain on the leg and stomach muscles to get the steps right, said Rachel Lincoln,assistant-director of Project Bandaloop,a travelling dance group from San Francisco,USA. On Friday,a group of 10 dancers from this troupe performed on the LIC building in the Capital,for the first time. The people assembled in the LIC compound were in for a double treat as the artistes performed in the afternoon and evening. Organised by the American Centre,this is the troupes first tour of the country. They had performed in Hyderabad last week,on the walls of the Golconda Fort. A 12-year veteran of the troupe,Lincoln also performed with her fellow dancers during the 30-minute show,which comprised a series of choreographed contemporary dance moves combined with languid flips,somersaults and ballet-like turns.

The audience was awestruck and cheered enthusiastically. Foreigners rassi baandh ke building pe naach rahein hain, Ramesh Kumar,a government employee,told his boss over the phone. To add to the viewers delight,the show had no entry charge.

It is the thrill of the moves combined with the artistry of the performers which makes the performance so memorable, said Koumudi Malladi,a college student who bunked classes to be at the show with her friend Mohini Singh.

For many,it was the curiosity factor,which pulled them away from their daily schedule to witness the event. Surbhi Dayal,a dance student from a Contemporary Dance Academy,said,It is remarkable how they can condition their bodies to perform at that height,with gravity acting against them. The dancers performed a set of six routines,mostly previously staged dances,which comprised duets,trios,group performances,etc. The opening two routines,Triple Dress (performed by three women) and Mens Trio (with three male performers),were recently choreographed pieces of the troupe. These are just a few weeks old and we havent had too much time to practise, said Thomas Cavanagh,troupe technical director.

The dances were performed with a background score of Western orchestral music as the moves are fluid,not rigid jerks. We rehearse for weeks before a show,maintaining a strict diet and proper intervals to avoid any strain. It took us a month to finalise the venue for the performance and only days to practise, he added.

The group leaves for the United States this weekend.

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US dancers-on-cables dazzle crowd

At 120 metres above the ground,suspended horizontally from two nylon cables with light winds at play,maintaining ones balance can be a challenge.

At 120 metres above the ground,suspended horizontally from two nylon cables with light winds at play,maintaining ones balance can be a challenge.