Attakalari dance fete at Ranga Shankara

Artistes from across countries are coming for a festival highlighting contemporary and inter-disciplinary dance

Bengaluru-based Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts is preparing to host the Attakkalari Interim Festival. The festival features contemporary dance forms and movement arts from India and South Asia, and marks the launch of the group’s new strategic direction.

The festival is called interim as there will be another festival in 2021. Starting on February 1, the festival witnesses performances and collaborative projects involving artistes from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Spain and other countries.

The highlight of the 10-day dance festival is the launch of the ‘Incubation Centre for the Arts and Media’, providing a platform to artistes to engage in transdisciplinary exploration involving dance, performing arts and digital media.

Addressing the media on Monday, Jayachandran Palazhy, artistic director, Attakalari, said the festival features original works from across many countries.

“The festival focuses on creating opportunities and strengthening international collaborations to produce thought-provoking original new work,” he said.

Workshops on ‘Essence International’, an initiative for practising artistes with at least two years of experience, will be held during the festival by performers of global repute.

The festival presents different strands of contemporary dance, physical theatre and performance making.

Besides introducing global contemporary dance to Bengaluru, the festival also has in store sessions showcasing many genres of the performing arts, workshops, masterclasses, and artiste interactions.

Initiatives by Attakkalari

• With education at the core of all its initiatives, Attakkalari’s two-year diploma in ‘Movement Arts and Mixed Media’, has been designed to empower young dancers with the skills to work both in the performative and educational contexts.
• Their ‘Sankshipta’, a three months certification course in contemporary dance and allied disciplines is structured to suit the needs of working professionals and full-time students.
• To make movement arts more accessible, Attakkalari has also launched the ‘Bengaluru Youth Dance Project’ with customised short courses in different styles of dance, martial arts, yoga, fitness and theatre for aspirants between the age of 5 and 30.
• They have also launched a mobile theatre initiative to facilitate learning across borders.

Tickets available online and at venue

• When: February 1 to 10
• Where: Ranga Shankara Theatre
• Tickets are available on BookMyShow and the
• Attakkalari website . Also available at the venue.
• For further details, contact 9845946003