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Samba, kathak and kathakali
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Andrea Panzera worked on her project Tataoi, a fusion between Brazilian and Indian culture while local commercial artists made the banner for it
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Cultural crossover Andrea Panzera, with Kathak dancer Madhuri Apte above, and top right, with commercial artists P. K. Antony and Dharmajan from Palluruthy
From Cork, Ireland, dance teacher Andrea Panzera has just a couple of days in Kochi to shop for saris, costume jewellery and masks for a project, Tataoi funded by the government of Ireland. It’s her first visit and she’s busy putting thin
gs together for the show where 120 students will present a fusion of Brazilian and Indian culture at Firkin Crane theatre, Cork. Just as Andrea is busy, so are billboard artists P.K.Antony and Dharmajan, from Palluruthy who are making a huge banner for the project. They have just four days to complete the work.
And so another case in point of a harmonious blend of the foreign with the local in Kochi.
“This is the first-of-its-kind of work that we have done and it has been a wonderful experience,” says Antony who is happy with the money he earned from this different work. “Andrea explained the design she wanted and my friend Asif conceptualised it for us. We took four days to complete this 6x4 metres banner.
For Andrea too the experience has been a happy one. She says, “I have been in India for the past five weeks and this is my last week in Kochi. Next time I will come here straight as this is the place for art and culture,” she says. Andrea learnt basic Kathak from dancer Madhuri Apte in Pune. “Fort Kochi has a cultural environment. I believe it will be a big reference in my work, in my later projects.”
Dance as therapy
Andrea who works with school children, the differently abled, and children with behavioural problems uses dance as therapy and teaches various kinds of dance techniques. She is an expert in samba, jazz, afro dance, and flamenco and is learning kathak. Her company, Brazil Arts Productions’ develops art environment projects with different cultures. The present project is a fusion between Indian and Brazilian culture. “I collect information in different areas: history, politics, religion, arts and take it back to the schools. I have got a grant from the Enterprise Board of the Govt. of Ireland. The department gives grants to companies that work with arts,” she explains.
Samba
And her conclusion on the similarities or differences between samba and kathak. “There are lots of similarities between kathak, kathakali and samba because all three have a lot of footwork. My project is different from the ones which involve ballet and jazz. In them the feet is up. In Indian and Brazilian dance the feet is on the floor, which helps the individual to develop an emotional basis in life. This is special to the people who I work with,” says Andrea whose grandfather was a teacher at the Theosophical society in Brazil and hence her interest in India and Indian ways. “Those roots are very important in my life. That’s why I meditate and have this connection with India. India has a lot offer to the world,” she concludes.
PRIYADERSHINI S.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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