In Slow Motion

In this piece, Linke’s inspiration is domestic labour in India, with segments modelled on the daily chores of a housewife. ‘‘The gradual moves are meant to represent a woman’s silent strength. It’s difficult to do a slow dance move,’’ says the 61-year-old danseuse, whose project is funded by the Goethe Institute. Another action explored in the recital is that of falling down. So the dancers relay across the stage tripping and sliding gracefully.

Linke’s technique—based on German expressionism and classical ballet—was unfamiliar territory for the dancers who are accustomed to the physically vibrant style of Bollywood dance. Lewis himself is clued in, having represented the country at Stuttgart’s Tanz Platform festival last year. ‘‘German audiences have had a surfeit of dance, they now look down on traditional movement. If you’re moving, it has to have meaning,’’ says Lewis, who claims to have watched an hour-long show in Germany where the dancers acted out their experiences with acne. Many performances take place a la nu. ‘‘If you twitch at nudity, you’re so low brow,’’ he laughs.

Linke and Lewis first worked together in 2003 on a similar venture, but it took three years for the next step. ‘‘Susanna loved the energy my dancers exuded and was keen to work with us again,’’ he says.

It’s a season of international collaborations for Lewis who’s dabbled in everything from yoga to mallakhamb. He’s working on a project with the International Red Cross involving tsunami-affected children from India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The Bollywood-style act will premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year. ‘‘They’re absolutely crazy about Hindi films. Even though they can’t speak the language, they know the songs by heart,’’ he says.

Lewis’ last performance titled Blush will show at the Autumn Festival in Brussels, after which he’s headed to San Francisco.

As part of Frauenballet, he’s doing a satire called Ten Steps to Choreographing Contemporary Dance in Europe, because he believes that a large amount of pseudo-intellectual fare is passed off as art. ‘‘For instance, if you worked on a piece when you were depressed or during the fall of the Berlin wall, it automatically becomes deep,’’ adds Lewis. Given the home audience’s poor appetite for contemporary dance, the ensemble is likely to open in Europe.