JOIN USThe two tube lights, the longer one dangling above and the other resting on the stage made for an intriguing stage setup.
As the performance commenced, a phalanx of cables tied to weights, spread widely across the stage appeared with the performer Julie Nioche standing amidst them.
The concluding act of the second edition of the Indo-French festival of contemporary dance Danse Dialogues, Nos Solitudes, put a perfect touch to end the fortnight-long festival at Kamani Auditorium.
However fascinating the set was, it was just built with basic elements like ropes and weights.
It was the thought that went behind the creation that created the magnificent impact.
In Nos Solitude- that can be loosely translated into Our Loneliness- the perfor-mer experiences a state of continuous free fall as she manoeuvres the pulleys to stay in a suspended space and these weights, in turn, trigger her dance movements.
Watching her gradual rise and emphatic fall at once, matched to the music of guitarist Alexandre Meyer (who, by the way, is always on stage beside the performer, melting into the space, without intruding upon the realm of loneliness) ma-kes for a beautiful spectacle.
The performance triggers the spectator’s imagination as he delves into his mind’s space amidst the harmony of music and solitude.
The 50-minute performance definitely interested the viewers in the beginning, going by the number of handheld cameras and pin-drop silence in the auditorium.
But the camera-totting audience lost interest by the by, leaving the auditorium gradually.
Call it our lack of patience or appreciation for an artiste’s craft, their waning interest reflected in their attitude as they attended to calls and left the auditorium in the middle of the act.
Not a demeanour to take pride in Delhiites!
The enigma of the act loses its charm when the audience behaves in this impolite manner. Yet the unhinged spirit of the choreographer kept the others involved in the act.
Its impact reached the zenith when she thumped the weights down at the stage, producing sound along with her dance.
In the end, she was a sight as she sat in the middle of the stage as the weights struck down with full intensity.