Yesterday I left you with a slight teaser of TOROBAKA and a glimpse into the magical synergy that dancers Akram Khan and Sylvie Guillem exhibited in “Sacred Monsters”. Today as I woke up, this exploration into the the-indefatigable-akram-khan seemed incomplete, and hence I thought I would present to you little snippets of his genius, his performance, and his passion for the art form. … Continue reading Can’t Let go : Akram Khan
For this of you who do not know this man, myth, talent and creative genius Akram Khan, I present his latest creation TOROBAKA as part of 45 Days of Dance Stories. But, first I must bow down to this dancer, choreographer, collaborator and magic-man – Akram Kkan, His energy and vitality, his cross disciplinary works of art, his duets, and his vision … Continue reading The Indefatigable Akram Khan
Martha Graham has been for many dancers a source of great strength, inspiration and guidance. Her work, writings, performances, choreographies, and dance style have been a beacon of light for me. So today rather than extoll the virtues of this extraordinary individual, let me present o you her 3 part narration titled “A Dancer’s Life” and allow you to go on that journey … Continue reading A Dancer’s Life – Martha Graham
Getting back to our upward trajectory of exploring the dancers body, we left off at Hands – the Power of Two, and now we are back with the Head as part of the 45 Days of Dance Stories blogging project. As a classical dancer, especially a Bharatnatyam Dancer, when I think of the head and its uses, I immediately think of Greeva Bheda or Sheero Bheda. … Continue reading Head : Greeva Bheda, the Science of head movements.
Last night was filled with an intense discussion between two architects and myself about the authority of attributing value to any art-form. Though the discussion was centered around the visual arts and the complex opinions that are polarised into “art for art’s sake” on one side and the idea of “form follows function” on the other, my take-away viz. a vis 45 Days … Continue reading Hands – The Power of Two
The last two days have been a meditation on Sitara Devi, hence on Kathak. Her many performance on stage or then on celluloid for Films such as Baghban(1938), Roti(1942)and Mother India (1957) – Sitara Devi’s contribution to Kathak is one that has been well documented and is sprawling in its influence to inspire. True to her moniker – “Sitara” (which means Star in Hindi), she … Continue reading R.I.P. Sitara Devi (1919-2014)
Is the Natya-Shastra a manifesto and tool for the contemporary artist ? According to me, it absolutely is – Yes! The Natya-Shastra, an approximately 2210 years old text with the main purpose, as I see it- is that this was and is a text that offers an infrastructure for the dissemination of creative knowledge. This infrastructure has been applied up to the … Continue reading The Natya-Shastra – Manifesto & Tool
People covered by their religion, in a city covered by excess, where every street corner has a sheesha- bar and a person speaking Hindi/Urdu – welcome to Dubai! My sole purpose in visiting Dubai was to look, find and purchase Art being presented and showcased at Art Dubai (http://www.artdubai.ae/). Standing tall like a scaled up version of a leggo city, Phantasmal – my name for … Continue reading ARTDubai : Will the real Art-Work please stand up!?
What got me to the ARTfutures exhibit in the spring of 2007, wasn’t the much advertised tag line that touted this fair to be “the” most affordable leg-in to the world of collecting Contemporary Art, but the enthusiasm of my fellow colleagues and peers at Sotheby’s. Plus, the promise of a hot gastro-pub meal at the end of the night, Thai no less, wasn’t something that I, on … Continue reading ARTfutures and Oliver Clegg
Playing the part of ‘Alice’ in a Bharatnatyam adaptation of “Alice through the looking glass” is a treasured experience. It was a first hand viewing of how very little is lost in translation when ideas are presented through a creative medium. What intrigued me most at the age of eleven was how the audience was the missing piece of the equation. With them present, we … Continue reading Me the Curator
D's Art Takes 