FIRE signifies different things to different people. It may be the light for some, while for others, it may be an unpredictable force of nature. For choreographer Ashley Lobo, fire signifies passion. This evening, Ashley presents his interpretation of this element through Agni, a contemporary and abstract dance production by his company Navdhara India Dance Theatre. A part of Nritarutya’s dance festival Adhyaya 2019, Agni comes to Bengaluru for the first time. “Fire can bring light and can also bring darkness. While creating something, it destroys something else and vice versa.

This idea was interesting to me and that’s what I wanted to explore through Agni,” he says. The show, which premiered at Israel’s Dellal Centre last year, looks at the element of fire as a symbol of beginnings and endings, sacrifice and knowledge. Ashley uses his Prana Paint technique, which explores movement through connectivity, yoga, breath and touch. “It’s an abstract and contemporary dance theatre performance.

So we are combining elements of theatre and dance, and within dance, we are looking at more expressionist movements,” explains Ashley. All the dancers come with a background in ballet and contemporary dance. “We don’t use facial expression, there is no clear narrative, we have just images and impressions. The forms create shapes and these automatically define the narrative — the Prana Paint technique adds an Indian influence,” concludes Ashley.

Rs 150 upwards. Tonight, 7 pm. At ADA Rangamandira, JC Road

ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax