Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
Blending Indian, Spanish dance forms
Wendy Clinard and Siri Sonty performing a hybrid dance of Kuchipudi and Spanish danceform, Flamenco.
An infectiously joyful celebration of music and dance - that is how one could describe the unique dance performance of the two artistes. The connoisseurs of dance and music were treated to a spectacular `jugalbandi' performance of Kuchipudi and the Spanish dance form, `Flamenco', at the VUDA Children's Theatre last week.
The two dancers broke open like flames dancing across the stage, revealing a fascinating confluence between two personal heritages. Flamenco and classical Indian dance forms have been fused and researched by many artistes due to their strong historic and stylistic influences on one another. This propelled Kuchipudi dancer Siri Sonty and the Flamenco dance artiste, Wendy Clinard, to explore the similarities between the two forms and come out with an outstanding presentation of this blend.
"We would like to name it as a contemporary dance or ballet which is an attempt to encompass our personal heritages," says Wendy, who is the director of the Clinard Dance Theatre in Chicago. Wendy had complete control over every part of her body during her performance. Even her deep, intense eyes seem to move in sync with her swoops and stomps. It was as if a sensual seriousness had enveloped her. Siri, with her flamboyant body movements, gave an enthralling Kuchipudi dance performance.
Wendy Clinard performing the Spanish dance 'Flamenco'.
Flamenco's earliest roots can be traced to the Indian sub-continent; more specifically north-west India, what is today Pakistan. The limb movements, especially of the hand and fingers, typical of this dance form, are reminiscent of Indian dance in which `mudras' are used to illustrate stories. This striking similarity of Flamenco with other Indian classical dances inspired Siri to explore the historic roots of the dance forms. In 2002, she collaborated with Wendy Clinard. " Its facial expressions and rhythmic body movements are quite similar to the Indian classical dance form, Kuchipudi," says Siri.
Flamenco involves intricate footwork with graceful and intense movements of the hands and the body. Song and dance are accompanied by the rhythmic finger snapping, hand clapping and shouting.
Siri and Wendy have both researched and presented lecture-demonstrations at dance festivals, universities and schools surrounding the historic and stylistic parallels and influences between the two forms. "We don't want to fuse the two and present a distorted version of the traditional art forms but rather retain their basic characteristics and study the similarities between the two. This is also an effort to promote cultural interaction between the communities," they say.
"It is the first time that we are presenting such a `hybrid' dance performance in India. Our idea is to familiarise the Indian audience with this unique concept before we come here with a full troupe to give a complete performance later this year. The full evening complete work will be presented in May 2005 in Chicago," says Wendy.
The Clinard Dance Theatre, created in 1999, comprises professional puppeteers, musicians, theatrical designers and dancers (Flamenco, ballet and modern) collaborating with other national and international artistes.
"Our goal is to create a physical vocabulary, which combines quality with contemporary values and a respect for the traditions and roots of classical and cultural dance forms," she adds.
NIVEDITA GANGULY
Photos: K.R. Deepak
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
|
