Chronotopia at National School of Drama - Bharat Rang Mahotsav

Photo by Chris Ziegler

· Bhopal - Sunday, January 17^th, 6:00 PM: Antarang Theatre, Bharat Bhavan

· New Delhi - Tuesday, January 19^th, 9:30 PM: Abhimanch Theatre, NSD Campus

Duration: 60 Minutes

CHRONOTOPIA: Dance Theatre Production

Inspired by the famous Tamil epic, Chilapathikkaram, Attakkalari’s multi-media dance theatre production takes the audience through an episodic journey traversing layers of temporal and physical locations that often defy conventional notions of space and chronology. It oscillates between memory and experience, and explores human predicament in a time of rapid changes. Classical Tamil poetry often employs a narrative style that establishes a connection between the landscape and the emotional as well as spiritual mind set of the characters, creating a geography of mind and imagination. Inspired by this idea, CHRONOTOPIA attempts to create a complex nonlinear dramaturgy by placing deliberately stylized physical movements in a digitally constructed and changing stage architecture. These physical movements are abstractions of images derived from contemporary experiences, imagination and memories, organized to create a sensorial journey that is without chronology.

Borders collapse, when images from ordinary human existence – childhood, friendship, marriage, motherhood, conflict and death – encounter the intervention of inexplicable forces that alter life and catapult it out of orbit.

Anchoring on a central female character represented by three dancers, the piece journeys through rural, urban, historical, contemporary and even mythical contexts. In the process, time dissolves and dislocates, infusing the landscape with tenderness and loss.

Abstract movement vocabulary for the piece is created through improvisation, drawing on images and events from contemporary life as well as imagined historical and mythical situations. These movement phrases are further developed using principles and aesthetics of Indian physical and performance traditions resulting in a rooted yet vibrant, composite yet distilled sensorial narrative.

Performed by Attakkalari’s uniquely talented Repertory dancers, the language itself is an embodiment of the human circumstance.

Highly translucent traces of projected images by Chris Ziegler, complemented by an abstracted light installation by Chris Salter and Marje Baalman, create an interactive context for the evocative highlighted by Thomas Dotzler’s restrained light design. Intricate choreography by Jayachandran Palazhy (along with the dancers) is set to an original, vibrant and melodic score by French composer Mathias Duplessy, (created in collaboration with Carnatic musicians from Bangalore).

Emotional, haunting and introspective, CHRONOTOPIA is an ode to the senses, a magical tour de force through the voyage of life.

Credits :

Artistic Direction : Jayachandran Palazhy

Choreography : Jaychandran Palazhy, along with the dancers.

Interactive Scenography: Chris Salter | Chris Ziegler

Interaction research/design (light): Marije Baalman | Chris Salter

Interaction design (video) : Chris Ziegler

Lighting Design : Thomas Dotzler

Music Composition & Production : Mathias Duplessy

Lighting programming: Marije Baalman

Lighting system design: Elio Bidinost | Harry Smoak

Sensing research/development : Joseph Malloch | Marije Baalman | Rodolfe Koholy

Costume Design: Jason Cheriyan & Anshu Arora of Hidden Harmony

Male vocals: Shri Balasubramaniam Sharma/ Mathias Duplessy

Female vocals : Neela Ramanujam

Mridangam : B.C Manjunath

Nadaswaram : M. Kodandaram

Physical Performers: Hemabharathy Palani, Sumesh V.M., Denny Paul Machampilly, Diya Naidu, Jyotsna Baleshwar Rao.

Director’s Note – by Jayachandran Palazhy

I have grown up hearing numerous versions of the Tamil epic poem Chilapathikaram (The Anklet’s Tale). The recent tumultuous changes in the world prompted me to reach out to creative collaborators (choreographers, digital artists, composers and dancers) to together imagine another version of this age old story. We attempted to explore imagined notions of time and space which went beyond specificities. We aspired to use symbiotic residues of personal memories and experiences particularly dealing with a sense of loss.

Using another aspect of theatre – the sensorial narrative - this production undertook to weave together movement, sound and visuals, using a contemporary sensibility. The movement language aimed to experiment with the varied spaces (macro and micro) embedded in Indian performative and physical traditions. The interactive scenography alluded itself to the concept of landscape in the poem Chilapathikaram - where the character’s interior feelings are mirrored in the external landscape (“thinai”). By trying to incorporate inherited cultural memories and emerging technology, we hope that this production has contributed to broadening the scope of movement theatre.

Jayachandran Palazhy is an internationally sought after dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bangalore, India. He is trained in India in the dance forms of Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Indian folk dance and Kalarippayattu (martial art), and in the UK, in Contemporary dance at the London Contemporary Dance School. He has also studied Ballet, Tai Chi, Capoeira and African Dance and has toured widely in India as well as internationally.

He works extensively as a consultant in different parts of the world and is at the forefront of the contemporary South Asian movement arts scene. In addition, he has participated in artistic residencies internationally, presented papers and lecture demonstrations on subjects related to movement arts, and been the recipient of several awards.

His work often involves digital and interactive technology and he has collaborated with some of the most celebrated artists of this genre. He also directs Attakkalari Bangalore Biennial (international festival of dance and digital arts) and FACETS (an international choreography laboratory).

Past Reviews:

“It was artfully choreographed in its various portrayals. The dance ballet does not adhere to a sequential or linear narrative to convey a story, but rather it has been evoked from the performer’s memory….the play somehow leaves a mark on the audience. The play only proved that the beauty of storytelling in abstract is more challenging to the performers and the audience and adds depth to the experience of the performance.”

- In “Beyond Time and Space” By Madhuri Kalyan, Deccan Herald, Bangalore – February 13^th, 2009

Additional Press Clips:

- “Spring Dance” in India Today’s Simply Bangalore Magazine – February Issue, 2009

- “A Women Scorned” The New Indian Express, Chennai – February 13^th, 2009

- “ The New Dance Movement” in The Hindu, Metro Plus – February 14^th, 2009

- “Technology at the Feet” in “Expresso”, Chennai – February 15^th, 2009

- “A New Idiom” in The Hindu, Chennai – February 18^th, 2009

Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Repertory Company

Committed to developing a context for contemporary cultural expressions - particularly in the performance arts –Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts– is an umbrella organization for dance and digital arts. Attakkalari enables collaborations in an international context through residencies and training opportunities, working towards developing a contemporary “South Asian body.”

Currently based in Bangalore, India and led by its Artistic Director – Jayachandran Palazhy, Attakkalari has a wide range of activities and interests. These activities include Education Outreach, a Diploma in Movement Arts & Mixed Media, Research & Documentation, an International Contemporary Dance Festival, Technical Solutions and a Repertory Company

Attakkalari’s Repertory Company has evolved a unique movement language and is at the forefront of interdisciplinary performance works in India. Drawing sustenance from India’s immense wealth of performance traditions, Attakkalari’s work is electrifyingly energetic and contemporary reflecting the vibrancy of today’s Indian society. The Repertory Company tours widely in India and abroad, performing and receiving acclaim from audience and critics alike.

Website www.attakkalari.org