JOIN US'White Caps’, performed at Ranga Shankara as a part of the ‘Attakkalari Biennial 2013’, was an out-of-the-screen experience. Performed by the Champloo Dance Company, ‘White Caps’ was a synergic combination of lyrical hip-hop and explosive break dance intermeshed with film and projection interventions.
As the artistes put it in the discussion later, the hip-hop dance moves were not restricted to any boundaries of society or imagination. What took one by surprise was how this dance style, which is predominantly urban, was coupled with the picturesque beauty of nature that was continually projected on stage.
The film, which was an integral part of the performance, explained the story-line and the relationship between all the characters. The film ties together a lot of elements that help to create the entire experience. The performance showcased the story of two individuals in search of harmony. The female character showed in the movie represents a guardian, a nurturing mother to the two male characters who begin to head out on a personal, gruelling personal adventure.
‘White Caps’ infuses emotion into hip-hop style and break-dance which is not too common, and even though the dance style is depicted in its true best, emotions between the characters have been interspersed, so as to create a new dimension.
“The tattoos connect us through our tribal brotherly relations, and are a way of confining the brotherhood. We’ve used hip-hop to go all the way, in expressing ourselves. This piece is a search for something within us,” details Wilkie Branson, the director. Performed along with artiste Joel Daniel, this piece has tried to explore the closeness and similarity between them. Wilkie tells the audience that the film took close to six months to complete production and it took about 110 days of rehearsing and filming, to bring this piece together.
Uma Palani, a dancer, says, “This is not just a contemporary piece, this is expanding boundaries through various mediums. The way the dance has been gelled with a collage of film on stage is truly an out-of-the-world experience.”
“The 3-D imaging they gave the whole performance, with the film being projected on screen and the artistes performing behind the screen, was an eye-opener to the many dimensions that an be explored,” says an excited Richa G, a young choreographer.