March Dance 2025: A bold artistic journey redefining contemporary dance in Chennai

Get ready to embark on a bold, artistic journey as March Dance 2025 takes over the city of Chennai with a festival that redefines contemporary dance. This year’s festival is not just about performance—it’s an exploration of identity, the body, time, and personal transformation through the language of movement. Over two weeks, audiences will experience a captivating array of performances, choreographic labs, thought-provoking film screenings, and engaging talks that invite reflection and dialogue. 

Here’s a closer look at some of the standout performances that will stir, challenge, and inspire.

One of the most thought-provoking pieces in the festival is Sediment (13’44”), a mesmerising collaboration between performer Preethi Athreya and filmmaker Vijay Boothalingam. The work is set against the vast salt pans of Marakkanam, Tamil Nadu, where the interaction of earth, water, and salt challenges the very notion of time and the body’s stability. Preethi shares, “Sediment came out of an intuitive response to the vast expanse of shallow geometric salt flats, painstakingly swept every day for sedimentation, like a ritual of care and attention.” This exploration of materiality raises deep questions about what we consider eternal versus transitory, with the body positioned at the intersection of both.

Rooted takes a fascinating and abstract approach to the relationship between a bonsai plant and a dancer. Created by Dayita Nereyeth, the piece delves into questions of agency, power, and balance. Dayita’s creative process was inspired by a simple gift—a bonsai plant she received in 2021. “I named it Mandrake because it reminded me of the plants in Harry Potter that can reverse petrification,” she says. What began as a photographic exploration of the plant evolved into a stage performance that explores the shared experiences of both plant and dancer. “I realised that I was thinking in terms of a proscenium performance rather than a film. Once I made that conscious switch, things started to flow,” Dayita reflects. In Rooted, she highlights the commonalities between herself and Mandrake, exploring themes of aesthetic manipulation, time, and transformation.

In Unsaid, choreographer Parth Bhardwaj addresses the unspoken remnants of our personal stories, delving into the fragmented narratives that often remain inside us. Presented as a movement monologue, Unsaid uses dance to articulate the internalised emotions and experiences that go unexpressed. “Unsaid explores the unspoken or the remnants of ‘what if’s’ from our lives in the body,” Parth explains. Born out of the isolation and introspection of the pandemic, the piece reflects the internal journey of revisiting personal histories and articulating them through the medium of dance. “The pause due to the lockdown became a catalyst to internalise and revisit personal experiences. It became a space for transformation and surrender,” Parth says, offering a profound examination of personal catharsis.

Embodied brings together contemporary dancer Babina Chabungbam and classical Manipuri dancer Surjit Nongmeikapam in a compelling dialogue about the rich history and evolving nature of Manipuri dance. The performance explores the tension between traditional forms and contemporary sensibilities, and the role of the dancer in both preserving and reinterpreting these ancient art forms. Surjit reflects, “We were sharing our dance practice during a conversation in November 2019. At that time, Babina was pursuing her Ph.D. and told me about the history of Manipuri dance. I was also interested in understanding how Manipuri dance had changed over time.” This conversation sparked a collaboration that would evolve into Embodied. Babina adds, “It began in March 2020 with the intention of translating my MPhil research into a performative text. After two shows, it was interrupted by the pandemic, but we finally presented it again in 2024.” The piece examines how dance evolves within a changing cultural context, reflecting on both personal and collective identities.

March Dance 2025 is a celebration of contemporary dance that pushes boundaries and challenges conventions. Whether it’s exploring the delicate interaction between body and environment, or investigating the shared experience of time, the festival invites its audience to think deeper, feel more, and question everything they thought they knew about movement.

Mark your calendar

At The Alliance Francaise of Madras

March 15, 11 am to 1 pm

Body and Site: Screening of dance films (auditorium)

Sediment (13’44”) by Preethi Athreya and Vijay Boothalingam

Around the Corner (Goa) (35’10”) by Davis Freeman

March 16, 7pm to 9 pm

Rooted by Dayita Nereyeth

Unsaid by Parth Bhardwaj

At The Goethe Institut Chennai

March 14, 7 pm

Embodied by Babina Chabungbam and Surjit Nongmeikapam

March 15, 7 pm

Life-Less-Life by Purnendra Meshram

March 17, 6.30 pm (film and discussion)

A Quest to Humanize, Chandralekha

Drought and Rain, Ea Sola

March 19, 6.30 pm (film and discussion)

I am a Demon by PichetKlunchun

Isadora Duncan by Jerome Bel

March 21, 6.30 pm (film and discussion)

Dance and Disability, an introduction into the work of Tanzbar Bremen and the Candoco dance company

March 22, 7 pm

meet//repeat by Tanzbar Bremen in collaboration with Indian artistes

March 23, 7 pm (film and performance)

Sweating Rocks/ 3’21” (film)

Soft Squares/ 30’ by Razan Wirjosandjojo, Indonesia.

Open to all.

Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com

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