Breaking the barriers of dance

Cindy Van Acker, choreographer and dancer from Switzerland, gave a brilliant performance in the City recently, as part of the ‘Attakkalari India Biennial 2013.’

Cindy began dancing at the age of six and learnt ballet until she was 20 years old, after which she decided to branch off to contemporary movement.

Cindy’s choreographic scripting features minimalist movement, precise composition and electronic music. She examines the connection between body and spirit, as well as sound and rhythm, with almost scientific precision to create works that cross the barriers of dance.

Talking about what inspires her, Cindy says, “Sounds and sights inspire me. The pieces that I perform are always about balance. It’s the energy and the space around it that I try to capture in all my performances.”

In the piece titled ‘Lanx’, Cindy depicts a movement which is a continuous current that circulates between the body and the geometrical motifs that encircle it.

She attempts to balance on the lines — unfolding its sides, ridges and angles, playing with perspectives that continually renew themselves.

“There are images in my head all the time and it is these images that I try to transform into my pieces. The performances are made as interactive as possible,” adds Cindy.

Cindy has roped in a team of experts to help her with all her productions: Luc Gendroz, the lighting expert who began working as a technician in various theatres and soon began specialising in lighting; Victor Roy, the scenographer and technical director, who has worked as a theatre technician in Geneva’s Comedy Theatre and other Geneva institutions; composer Denis Rollet and Mika Vainio, who handles the sound aspect of her performances. “My team is my strength. There’s so much we try to do on the creative front,” she explains.

Thomas, a student of Srishti School of Art and Design, who watched the performance, says that he was thoroughly impressed with the swift movements. He observes, “The dancer is pretty swift in her movements. I really liked the way she works with her body movements.”