A solo by Vasudev.C 'Unwinding the past'

Unveiling a woven past

The mirror pool at the NGMA(National Gallery of Modern Art) reflects the image of a man clad in white long fabric wound around his body. He stands confident like a canvas ready to be filled with lines, shapes and colors. The voice of Hindustani singer Namrata Kartik layered with synthesized music of Yashas Shetty fills the out-door space of the gallery premises and the performer responds to the music by brushing the space through movements of Chauu.

A solo by Vasudev.C titled 'Unwinding the past' under the gallery's  programme ' Carte Blance- the grounds of NGMA for temporal art interventions' on the 8th of April 2011.This contemporary dancer trained in Mayurbanj Chauu under Bharat Sharma, is also a professional painter with an M.F.A (Master of Fine Arts) from the Chitrakala Parishat. The piece was presented in collaboration with photographer Ranna MV along with an exhibition of  photographs that captured the dancers motion in still images.

The painter/dancer formed patterns with his body and the fabric depicting past experiences , emotional fluctuations , relationships that are invariably attached to one's life.He wore it with elegance, fondled it with care , followed its trail , admired its texture while he slowly distances from the never-ending yards of its entanglement .A literal narrative very similar to the experiences of Buddha as he renounces the world to seek salvation is seen as the sub-text in the piece, where the performer weaves images of ego, suffering, passion, regret, disorientation and ultimately a peaceful state of being where he is one with the world.The cloth wrapped around his limbs and waist was used as symbolic representation of one's past while the unveiling  intended to convey liberation from this attachment. 

The piece had a frail movement strategy with the dancer twisting , turning, zigzagging , unwrapping the cloth throughout the entire piece. Moments of strong focus , momentum and stark stillness gave hope of taking the piece to a different level but lost to monotony during this hour-long piece. However the live melancholic music juxtaposed by recorded mechanical sounds was married with the artist's conceptualization and movements. Vasudev's effort to simplify an abstract piece was achieved through literal representation of emotions making the piece comprehendible  for a common man . The  choreography pleased  the eyes more like a beautiful painting than a movement performance, taking the audience's perception of visual art to a whole new level. 

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Kalaghoda - Why horse around with performers ?

Lack of technical and organizational support, disappoints performers at the festival

Kala Ghoda needs no introduction to an Indian artist. A prestigious  festival that takes place in Mumbai,  draws artists and art lovers from across the country is every artist's dream , at least that is what all my colleagues who performed there had to say. With great expectations of being part of such a festival,  I prepared myself with intense rehearsals , music, properties  and light design.

The performance that is normally held in the centre of Horniman Gardens in Mumbai  was held in a small park that was incredibly unclean and surround by traffic noise. The stage was erected just in time while the green rooms were being constructed till the performance began and there was absolutely no washroom facilities anywhere around the stage.Performers could not have a light rehearsal as the performance was scheduled to start at 5pm and the lights arrived only post lunch. Despite specifying in advance, the light design for a contemporary dance piece , it was a disappointing to see parcans and scanners being used like christmas lights. 

The 7th of February 2011, was an evening filled with performances where dance was merely reduced to entertainment . From Kuchipudi to Kathak , Bharatnatyam to Belly dance , Cinematic to jazz , classical to contemporary, everything was jam packed within a schedule of six hours. A group of young girls came on stage and rehearsed a dance piece to a bollywood number calling it contemporary dance. Every form including cinematic dance has its place and audience. Jumbling Indian Classical dance with Belly dance and Jazz could simply leave the audience in a haze.

My experience at the Kalaghoda festival was extremely disappointing. I had accepted to perform at the festival after being offered a pay that did not even cover my travel expenses. With no accommodation or hospitality, I was lost in a strange city. Though the curator of the evening was trying to be hospitable, there was not much she could do, due to lack of funds and weak organizational support. It seemed torturous to force myself to perform in a space that seemed more like a merry-go-around in a fair and I took a decision to not perform at all. 

Would a swimmer swim in an empty pool even if it were the Olympic games ? Would a pianist play a piano with broken keys?, then why is it that dancers compromise with what they need to perform. A wooden floor to prevent serious injuries , good lights to enhance the choreography or convey a concept ,  decent levels of cleanliness and a platform where the art is given its due respect are bare necessities and not luxuries.

Every performer has the right to demand for technical support and ideal performing conditions. The organizers have the responsibility to keep their word. It is important to know that it is impossible to force someone to perform in disagreeing circumstances  and the choice of performance always remains with the performing artist.