LEAP OUT : PFS4 Weekend 3
In our third weekend, we LEAP OUT and hit the spotlight! We find the courage to come together and build the dance ecology through new voices in the community, as well as a dialogue between the old and new.
The weekend features four performances by emerging dancers, choreographers and dance makers as a part of the Finding Ground Open Call born out of the collaboration between At the Still Point Act VI and Pickle Factory Season 4. In addition, there will also be discussion forums through and Open Table and Coffee Klatch conversations.
Finding ground is often challenging for an emerging artist. For every dancer to be inspired to go out and express their voice and create work, they need a community that will listen, comprehend, and engage in conversation about their journeys, intentions, and concerns as artists. Finding Ground intends to be a safe space for emerging performers to show new work and receive critical feedback, and engage in debate and dialogue about the resources, cultures and ecosystems that can nurture and motivate artists to create, practice, perform and grow.
Saturday, 2 March 2024
4pm to 6pm:
Open Table Discussions
6.30pm to 8.30pm
Finding Ground 1:
performances by Pintu Das and Dileep Chilanka
Sunday, 3 March 2024
4pm to 6pm:
Coffee Klatch Conversations
6.30pm to 8.30pm
Finding Ground 2:
performances by Kankana Singh and Abhay Mahajan
Performances
2 March ’24
Bhasha – The Language
contemporary dance by Pintu Das, Calcutta
Nerpala – നെര്പലര്
experimental performance by Dileep Chilanka, Kasaragod
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Hall
6.30pm to 8.30pm
Free entry by registration
Bhasha – The Language
Not having studied in an English medium school was never a bother till Pintu Das needed to start explaining his dance in words. Bhasa (Sanskrit for language) is a personal movement exploration of the ignominy of the inability to express identity or art in a language that feels foreign and does not come easy when it comes to communication. What happens when one language is needed to explain or even justify another? Through a series of incidents on stage, this piece would explore the failure to communicate dance, through dance.
Choreography and Performance: Pintu Das
Mentored by: Paramita Saha
Music: Dustin O’Halloran, Remnants, and Alvin Lucier
Nerpala – നെര്പല
Nerpala is an experimental dance performance contemplating the structures of wooden planks found across rural Kerala called nerpala. Dileep, a theatre and movement artist, attempts to embody the motion, geometry and fluidity of silent objects of his hometown, weaving in its cultural fabric. How the body remembers, assimilates, and recreates! Rooted in the interrelations of personal and cultural memory, the piece is inspired by the topography of Dileep’s village as well as the quality of folk dances like theyyam, yakshagana, panjuruli and more.
Performers: Dileep Chilanka, Ananthakrishnan K, Rajith A R
Technical and Creative Support: Anjali A R, Nithin Valiyathra
Music: Dileep Chilanka
The performances will be followed by a conversation with the artists facilitated by dancer-choreographer Diya Naidu.
Venue
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
Park Mansions, Gate 4
57a, Park Street
Calcutta 700016
3 March ’24
Nāsadiya – The Meandering Energy
experimental classical dance by Kankana Singh and Parna Chakraborty, Calcutta
Asymptomatic
experimental theatre piece by Abhay Mahajan, Mumbai
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Hall
6.30pm to 8.30pm
Free entry by registration
Nasadiya – The Meandering Energy
Before anything existed the entire cosmos was a stream of energy according to Nasadiya Sukta, a hymn of creation in Rig Veda. Born of this energy came Shakti – the feminine power of creation and her counterpart, Shiva. Their union leads its way towards awakening energy- Kundalini – that travels through our body to reach the highest form of consciousness. But what happens to those who are stuck in the loop of worldly affairs, unable to reach this emancipation? They are represented by Pakhangba, a snake devouring its tail. The twists of its body are symbolic of our lives. This fighting spirit of man lives but at the core of our hearts, we still yearn for emancipation.
Concept and direction: Kankana Singh
Script: Nilambar Chakraborty, Kankana Singh
Music direction: Sudipto Chakraborty
Rhythm composition: Thingom Brojen Kumar Singha
Choreography: Parna Chakraborty, Kankana Singh
Creative Advisors: Parna Chakraborty, Kaustav Gupta, Tanisha Bhadury, Debopam Das
Costume: Mira Singh
Asymptomatic
Asymptomatic is a theatre piece that wanted to become a dance piece, and ended up being a stand-up.
Abhay Mahajan as himself brings to us an interview as a performance. As an actor/dancer/writer/director/set and light designer, all rolled into one, he dreams of making a performance piece that might change his life. He applies for a prestigious international grant but he is not selected. He comes back year after year with evolved proposals, hoping his artistic abilities are acknowledged and celebrated globally. Will he finally get the grant? Will he feel seen and heard? What is truly the weight of frustration of rejection?
The performances will be followed by a conversation with the artists facilitated by poet and podcaster Sunil Bhandari.
Venue
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
Park Mansions, Gate 4
57a, Park Street
Calcutta 700016
Other Events
2 March ’24 | Open Table
3 March ’24 | Coffee Klatch
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
Library
4pm to 6pm
The Open Table is envisioned as a free-flowing, dynamic, accessible and open forum for the performing arts fraternity to voice both urgent and systemic concerns that might deter the growth of emerging artists and prevent them from achieving their full potential. How can we reimagine our ecosystems to build equitable frameworks for support for the next generations of artists and performers? The Table keeps notes on its cover and has space for anyone to come up and make their points.
The Coffee Klatch conversations take the pertinent points from the Open Table Notes into smaller huddles, tables of solution-centric discussions among practitioners and other representatives from the arts.
Venue
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
Park Mansions, Gate 4
57a, Park Street
Calcutta 700016
Venue
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
As the globally active cultural institution of the Federal Republic of Germany, Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan advocates for understanding between Germany, Europe and the world. They strongly believe in the potential of international cultural exchange. Approximately 20,000 cultural events per year take place in partnership with governmental and non-governmental institutions and initiatives from civil society in all their guest countries, including Kolkata, India. They qualify, advise and interlink cultural professionals and support the development of sustainable structures in the cultural and creative economy through advanced training measures for cultural entrepreneurs or the internationalization of creative companies. With their residence programs, partnerships and co-productions, they promote the networking of cultural professionals around the globe. In their work, they orientate themselves towards the values of a democratic, liberal society governed by the rule of law.
Venue
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
Park Mansions, Gate 4
57a, Park Street
Calcutta 700016
Pintu Das is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, fitness instructor and yoga practitioner from Kolkata. He started his dance career with street form and cinematic dance (Bollywood) and learnt dance forms like Indian folk dance, old-school hip-hop and many others. He graduated from Rabindra Bharati University in bharatanatyam in 2010. He underwent training in contemporary dance from Sapphire Creation Dance Company and became a member in 2009. In 2013. He presented his first choreographed piece Aspiration at The Prayana Dance Festival in association with “Goethe Institute Max Muller Bhavan, Kolkata organised by Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts Bangalore. Some of his other choreographies include Under Observation (2022); Kaktarua (2020); and Chair (2016). He has represented India globally as a member of Sapphire.
Dileep Chilanka is an actor, contemporary dancer, choreographer, and theatre director from Kasaragod, Kerala. His works focus on finding new movement vocabulary by taking inspiration from surroundings and life experiences. A postgraduate in Theatre Arts and graduated from the School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur, Kerala, Dileep also holds a Diploma in Movement Arts from Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore. Currently, he is the founder of Chilanka Theatre Lab, a creative space for theatre and movement practitioners. Some of his notable works involve Udal (solo contemporary dance) Njanane Dheyvathane (theatre) and Nerpala – (ongoing movement art project..
Kankana Singh comes from a Bishnupriya Manipuri family where art, music and dance are an integral part of the culture. Her initial training in Manipuri was from her parents, Sri Kunjo Singh and Smt. Mira Singh. Currently, she is an apprentice of Guru Kalavati Devi and training under her daughter Smt. Bimbavati Devi. She takes a keen interest in the martial art form Thang-ta, for which she was awarded a mentorship program from Serendipity Arts Foundation. She is the Creative Director of Nartanangan, a space for dance and more. A recipient of both Junior and Senior national scholarships from the Ministry of Culture, India. Kankana has performed throughout India, at various prestigious festivals including Konark Dance Festival, Nakshatra Festival, the Emerging Artist platform and more. Some of her notable works include Aham, Performing (in) Potloi, and Nasadiya.
A working mother of a 5-year-old , Parna Chankraborty continues her practice and training amid her busy schedule. She has been under the tutelage of Guru Bipin Singh and Guru Kalavati Devi. Later she continued her training under Smt Bimbavati Devi. Parna has also gone through several rigorous Thang-Ta workshops, under Guru Ranjeet Chingtham, Smt. Asharani Devi and Smt. Indu Huirem. She was a recipient of both the Junior and Senior National scholarships from the Ministry of Culture. She has participated in and showcased her dance on several prestigious platforms all over India and also abroad. Some of her major performances in Kolkata include Soorya Festival, Nishagandhi Festival, Kalaghoda Festival, Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav, Khajuraho and others. Her performances abroad include all cultural programmes under ICCR in countries like Germany, Romania and Australia.
Abhay Mahajan has been deeply invested in the practice of theatre for the last two decades. Abhay’s work as an actor has been staged at prestigious international festivals in France, Belgium, London, Taiwan, and in India at ITFoK, Bharangam, and others. Abhay was one of the founder members of Pune-based experimental theatre group Natak Company. Abhay is an alumnus of Attakkalari Centre for Dance and Movement Arts. He is trained in Kalaripayattu, Bharatnatyam, Ballet and contemporary technique. Abhay was selected for b12 performance project with choreographer Akira Yoshida in Berlin and he has been part of residencies with international choreographers. Currently, he is working on a dance production with choreographer Abhilash Ningappa. As a teacher, Abhay offers workshops in Body Awareness, Actor’s Block and Moving Actor. Apart from his workshops, Abhay has been a visiting faculty at FLAME Institute. He is a recipient of the Vinod Doshi Fellowship for his contribution to theatre in 2014-15.
Acknowledgements
Astrid Wege, Preethi Athreya, Raka Maitra, Sharmistha Sarker
