Mumbai: Swaying to the dynamism of contemporary life

The performance might seem like a farrago on paper, but when the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts takes the stage, the end product is invigorating. On January 8, it is showcasing an hour-long performance of MeiDhwani dance form for the first time in Mumbai as part of Tata Trust’s Kalapana Arts And Crafts Festival. The dance had previously been performed in Bengaluru, where Attakkalari is based, and at festivals in Europe. Kalapana festival will also see other performances , including Ninasam — a Kannad play from Heggodu — and Dhrupad Sanstha by the Gundecha Brothers.

MeiDhwani is a very special to Jayachandran Palazhy, director of Attakkalari. “The dance began with the idea that huge changes are happening around us — both globally and in India. You blink your eyes and a new building comes up, communities have been transplanted, relationships have altered. We wondered how these changes affect the human body; what they leave behind,” said Palazhy. That’s why they’ve named the piece MeiDhwani — a combination of Tamil word mei, which means body, and dhwani, which means echo in Sanskrit. And what better way to understand the body than through the lens of dance? “Movements never lie — it is the sum total of what we think, imagine and feel,” he added.

“Though Attakkalari is known for meshing technology and art, I have worked with the best digital artists from around the world,” he said, adding that he’s decided to do away with all technology in this performance and instead focus on the body and its fundamental nature.

“The body is the final frontier,” he said. “Most other domains have been taken over by the influx of media, data, information and advertising. True privacy, and the sacred aspect of one’s own being, is only found in the human body. That is why it’s so important to explore the facets of the body’s existence.”

(The performance will be held at CSMVS, Fort, on January 8, 8.15 pm.)