Ablaze with passion

An eclectic performance put together to awe the crowd, ‘Scottish Dance Theatre India 2012’ — a programme with its share of thrills and excitement — made for a memorable evening. 

Held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall recently, this unique
season of dance performances was organised by the British Council and GREAT.The event kicked off with the first performance ‘Drift’, by dancers Matthew Robinson and Natalie
Trewinnard.

Displaying extreme passion, this powerful duet choreographed by James Wilton explored human feelings like loneliness and closeness, depicting the emotions of ultimate commitment and trust.

   As the duet danced with high energy, creating a world of their own on the stage, they involved the audience in their amazing display of intimacy.   

   This 11-minute-piece, resonating with one’s own life, clearly showed how sometimes the people we care a lot for are the ones we hurt the most.

Commenting on the same, James MacGillivray, acting artistic director of the Scottish Dance Theatre, says, “‘Drift’ is about human conditions. It relates to each of us, and talks about the struggles, trust and the need to fit together.”

A celebration of dance, intermingled with a burst of mixed emotions, soon followed — with ‘DOG’, a piece choreographed by Hofesh Shechter, which was a collaboration of riot and calmness at its best.

   Involving eight dancers — Joan Cleville, Eve Ganneau, Nicole Guarino, Julian Jua’rez, Jori Kerremans, Giulia Montalbano, Naomi Murray and Lewis Wilkins — this 31-minute-
performance depicted the questioning of the society, and possibly, “where we
came from, and where we are now,” as James puts it.

This performance seems to be a depiction of conforming to the society along with being an individual. Witty yet honest in its depiction, ‘DOG’ illustrated intimacy and tenderness.
‘Luxuria’, as the name suggests, was a perfect blend of lust and desire and an
illustration of not being satisfied with anything.

As James feels, this piece is about moving forward and the need for more. Constant desire and sensual romance are all wrapped into this piece, which was choreographed by Liv Lorent.

This piece, all of 33 minutes, was performed by all the artistes in the group.  
Accompanied by the perfect mixture of music and lighting, each performance had a story of its own.

The crowd stood pleasantly surprised with how the evening had turned out. Varun, project assistant at IISc and a spectator, excitedly says, “I’m so glad I could make it this evening. I loved the music, the choreography and the energy seen in every piece.”    Anindhita Ghosh, another spectator who works with ‘Attakkalari’, adds, “This
is a totally new experience and a new concept.

It’s impressive how they throw themselves on the stage and make everything so
amazing.”