Parivahitham- Dancing through trouble times

Photo courtesy- Shreekanth.L.Rao

Parivahitham- Dancing through trouble times

A Kolkata based dance company gave their best performance with almost no technical support at the performance space.

 In their latest Indo-Swiss production 'Parivahitham', Sapphire creations dance workshop, a Kolkata based dance company collaborated with Swiss musician, Marc Rossier resulting in a  marriage of music and movement. Artistic Director and Choreographer of the company ,Sudarshan Chakravorty presented his piece  with five of his company dancers on 19th of Dec 2010 in Bangalore at Freedom Park Amphi Theatre 

Slow and insightful , a  female dancer draws the audience into the piece with her solo, where she awakens every cell of her body  preparing it for a  long journey ahead of her and the music becomes a reflection of her state of being. The piece introduced every individual through solos that translated  their personal discomfort into their bodies. Movements drawn from physical disabilities, pain and emotional fluctuations highlight the piece. It gradually picks up momentum with strong lines and gestures of Bharatanatyam subjected to suspension and velocity,  interwoven with handstands, cartwheels, rolls , falls and partner work. 

Many sections done in unison looked superimposed on the dancers and the lack of strong technique in Bharatnatyam  is very transparent in the performers. The  dancers Paramita Saha, Dibyendu Nath, Nikita Bhattacharya and Koushik Das though seemed a bit self indulgent at times had a lovely stage presence and executed the piece with confidence, while Ankita Duttagupta simply kept the audience engaged throughout the piece with  her beautiful lines and strong focus. In India Choreographic work  that features a strong classical movement vocabulary subjected to various western movement techniques is not a new concept anymore, however the piece had its moments of magic when every dancer's individuality characterized by a unique music score surfaced brilliantly in the piece.

Music in contemporary dance has almost become synonymous with orchestrated sounds and noise. Live music can be wonderful expressive tool adding to the intensity of a piece to truly explore the magic of 'live' performance.

It was  Marc's first collaboration with an Indian company and he came sans expectations to work with Sapphire Creations. Though he was not part of the entire creative process, he stepped into the piece when the choreography was completely set and composed music based on discussions with the choreographer and watching rehearsals. He observed every dancer and played  based on the emotional essence of the choreography.He played his guitar with rhythmic patterns playing in tandem with the dancers and also going against the flow of movement.His music was another fixed dancer on stage where composition interacted with choreography through harmony, contrast and silence.

The lack of technical support at the Freedom park Amphi theatre disintegrated the sections that were designed to be done in specific lights. The lack of wooden floor made the dancers move cautiously for they had to prevent themselves from getting injured on a hard concrete floor. The acoustics required for an open space were absent, making Marc's job much more difficult. The piece  designed for a proscenium theatre space failed to make an impact on the audience due to lack of appropriate lights and sound. 'Parivahitham'  aimed to explore movement  through  troubled times  hoping for a constructive, positive and meaningful time in the near future and their performance with deficient organization at the venue allowed them to  literally experience the essence of the piece.