Inside Out/John Burtt

Why just Kathak?

quot;In 1996-97, I worked with the legend Pandit Birju Maharaj himself in Delhi and was impressed by the way he weaved rhythm with Lucknowi tradition. That set me going.quot; And when AsiaLink, an Australian funded initiative, came up with this proposal, it was a quot;once in a life-timequot; opportunity. quot;There8217;s a lot of lovely footwork in Odissi and Bharata Natyam also, but the spinning and whirling of Kathak is more close to Flamenco and classical ballet.quot;

Talking of his form, what all does Burtt have to his credit?

After basic training, at the age of 19, he went to London to train at the London School of Contemporary Dance. This is where he was awarded the City and Guilds Scholarship for a three-year course. While in London, he co-founded a multimedia dance company Eye-to-Eye and created 10 unique works. Multimedia wasalso incorporated into Skadada8217; a performance company that he co-founded in 1995. Skadada8217;s first show toured internationally and came to India also. Boop! presented at the Sydney Opera House, Paper Kite premiered in 1997 at Huntington Festival and Auto Auto a short film which premiered at Perth in 1998 are among some of his more well-known works.

But how does multimedia come into the picture?

quot;It is an innovative concept 8212; it combines pressure sensitive floors, movements that trigger sounds and moving lights 8212; where we explore the rapport body and technology can build. By giving space to each element, we keep shifting the focus around and don8217;t allow any component to overshadow the other.quot;

How fruitful has the visit been?

Though Burtt has held a series of workshops for Kathak dancers, and choreographed a bit, he feels he has just scratched the surface. quot;What more can you do with three working days a week? Still I have tried to create challenging movementsthat work with Indian style 8212; something which involves the arduous task of bringing audiences closer to God. I have done my best to work across the boundaries. It has not been easy, for traditions are more entrenched in art forms here.quot;

Has he worked on a fusion performance yet?

quot;Tomorrow I will present three short items which should not be seen as a performance. They are sketches which show that I am not here to impose western style on Kathak bodies. There has been some improvisation though.quot;

Does fusion draw criticism in Australia also?

quot;After years of persistence, fusion music is now being accepted. Dance still witnesses quite a few hurdles. There are purists everywhere. In a way it8217;s good, for there should be someone to preserve traditions. Otherwise everything will become global junk.quot;

8212; Meeta Bhatti