Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
On their toes
|
Students of Yana Lewis put together a spirited performance of classical and jazz ballet
|
ENCHANTING The ballerinas performed to a packed audience
The tiptoe finesse of classical western ballet and a few examples of contemporary twists imparted to it, The Enchanting Extravaganza had it all. It was a dance performance organised by the city-based Yana Lewis Dance Academy. The academy is the brainchild of Yana Lewis, a choreographer and ballerina from the United Kingdom. The performance, the first by the academy in Bangalore, was directed and produced by her.
The show got off well past its scheduled time to a packed audience. It began with an opening ceremony to the background of Tibetan chants. The dance group believes in pursuing classical ballet, jazz and jazz ballet. In that context, the opening was kind of an improvisation where the dancers displayed some really fluid movements, which were not rigid in a classical sense.
Ballet training starts early at about four years of age. But the academy was confident enough to let even its youngest pupils take part in the performance. There were a number of compositions that featured tiny-tots, with the first being "Jelly Babies in Fairyland". The costumes for the children were elaborate, but what was even better was their preparedness. The co-ordination and musical awareness of the children must be a result of countless hours of practice and due credit must be given for that.
Different groups from the academy performed the compositions. The two senior groups were the professional Yana Lewis Dance Company, and the part-time Adult Jazz and Adult Ballet. They performed a few classical ballets that included "Bohemia" by Smetana, "Village Mazurka" by Tchaikovsky, "La Entrada Mangnifica Del Torero" by Bizet. Of the three the one by Bizet might be familiar to Formula One fans as part of it is used during the podium celebrations after each race.
The classical ballets were flawless in their execution, with one dancer, Siddananda Babbur Gudanada Mutt (Siddu for short), proving to be a notch above the others, especially in the solos. It is said he wants pursue dance further in Europe.
The groups also performed a few jazz ballets, which used contemporary music. Both "Samb Adagio" and "On The Streets" were hit tracks by the Safri Duo, and "Momentum" was house by Daniel Bedingfield. These compositions used traditional ballet as a base with improvisations.
The only low of the entire programme was Michael Jackson's "Thriller". It contained absolutely no improvisation and even step-by-step came nowhere close to matching the original. Compared to all the other compositions around it, it stuck out like a sore thumb.
After the performance, Yana Lewis spoke to MetroPlus about her academy and the debut show in Bangalore. Excerpts:
What is your emphasis? Classical ballet or contemporary dance?
I have been teaching classical ballet for 27 years. I am part of one of the largest dance organizations called Imperial Society of Teacher's of Dancing (ISTD). It has courses designed for professionals hat are taught all over the world. I don't teach freestyle dancing. It is for people who have no training. All my children have a specific syllabus. But you might find that in my compositions the interpretations might be free freer.
A considerable number of your students are from the expatriate community in Bangalore?
Yes we have a lot of them. In the west there is a dance school in every city. Many children choose it as a hobby but they come to India they find nothing. So they find me.
What is your approach with Indian students, especially those with schooling in Indian classical dances?
It is fantastic. I love teaching them. Dance is universal. Even though the style is different in Bharatnatya or Kathak, dancers from both those streams can learn each other's art with ease. They have a dancers mind. Children here have amazing arms and find it easier to understand music.
You say you want to encourage Indian dancers to go abroad. But isn't the arts scene already crowded there? What chance do Indians have in making it professionally abroad?
Yes it is very saturated. But India is far behind when it comes to standards in classical ballet and jazz. Indian dancers must have full time training. It not necessary to work abroad but they can come back and train here. If you want to be a dancer, you must say I can do it there, where there are many.
ANAND SANKAR
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
