Days after Surjit Nongmeikpam performed an interesting portrayal of the relationship between humans and lemons in Folktale, two other unique performances by city-based practitioners take centre stage this week. While Anoushka Kurien presents the unusually titled, to be danced, Aparna Nagesh of Madras Dance Arts will perform Duende.
Make a move
In another example of how the concept of movement and motion inspires an idea for a cultural performance, Anoushka Kurien’s to be danced uses techniques of projection to portray her understanding of the subject. We are immediately reminded of French choreographer Cecile Loyer’s production Histoires Vraies from four months ago. Anoushka, who has worked with Padmini Chettur and also teaches dance at Koothu-P-Pattarai, explores the moments when people begin to move and how they progress to dance, starting from the first impulse and continuing into interaction. The solo performance will see Anoushka’s movements being projected onto the wall as she performs live, lending the impression of a parallel mirror effect. With lights by M Natesh, sound by Daruka Siva, film by Deepa Vaswani and technical support by Raymond Selvaraj, the performance will be hosted by Basement 21 at the Goethe-Institut Auditorium. 45 mins. September 8. 7 pm onwards. Details: 28331314
Movers and sayers
Months after their immersive theatre production, Frankly Speaking, Kirthi Jayakumar and Aparnaa Nagesh have come together again to present a compelling dance performance that seeks to a create awareness about various societal problems. Titled Duende (referring to the spirit of inspiration), it comprises of three acts — White Noise, Depaysment and Her Story. While the first talks about mental illnesses, the second portrays the life of a displaced refugee. Her Story on the other hand reflects on contributions made by women that have largely been ignored. Written by Kirthi, it will feature folk music by Vishwa Bharat. This will be followed by a performance by students of KM Conservatory, directed by Lijo K Jose. Presented by High Kicks dance ensemble. 60 mins. September 10. 4 pm and 7 pm. Tickets at `200 on in.bookmyshow.com