How dancer Jayachandran Palazhy popularised Attakalari

Jayachandran Palazhy has put Bangalore on the global map by creating a form of movement arts that has its foundation in Indian traditions, and yet moves forward through the vehicles of technological advancement.

Jayachandran Palazhy, founder and artistic director of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts has been at the forefront of the the contemporary Indian movement arts scene. An internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, he has pioneered several initiatives through Attakalari, which have changed the perception of the art. These initiatives include a Diploma in Movement Arts and Mixed Media (the only programme of its kind in India); pioneering research and documentation initiatives; education and outreach; the internationally reputed Attakkalari Repertory company; TransMedia Technologies which provides stage solutions; and the Attakkalari India Biennial — an international festival of dance and digital arts.

Driven by Attakkalari’s underlying philosophy “Traditional Physical Wisdom, Innovation and Technology”, Jayachandran is deeply committed to extending the reach of contemporary movement arts. His path breaking work makes Indian movement expressions of contemporary reality more visible,  both nationally and internationally. A Physics graduate from Kerala, Jayachandran trained in India in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Indian folk dances and the martial art form of Kalarippayattu. Moving to London, where he lived for 15 years, Jayachandran trained at the prestigious London Contemporary Dance School and also studied classical ballet, Tai Chi, Capoeira and African dance.

During his time in London he established the Imlata Dance Company which was supported by Arts Council of England and several UK based national dance agencies. While in the U.K., he was awarded the Barclays New Stage Award for innovative work and selected to represent the UK, as an emerging choreographer in an international forum.

Jayachandran’s collaborations with international artistes whose works involve digital arts and interactive technology have resulted in some very exciting multimedia dance productions of a unique genre. City Maps, TransAvatar, Purushartha, Chronotopia, For Pina… and MeiDhwani to name a few of his productions — have received widespread critical acclaim and toured extensively internationally and within India.

Jayachandran has undertaken research on subjects such as ‘Teaching Methodology in Performing Arts of Kerala’ and as part of a collaborative project at the Arizona State University he worked on the ‘Role of Interactive Technology and Telematics in Performance’.

At Attakkalari, Jayachandran has directed an exhaustive research and documentation project NAGARIKA — on the movement principles of Indian physical traditions. This seminal research series is the first such initiative in India in the field of traditional performing arts and is historically important. The project has resulted in two interactive DVDs on Bharatanatyam and Kalarippayattu featuring masters of the form. Normally, this information is passed on in an exclusive context from teacher to disciple through long years of training. Attakkalari’s effort in making this information available in the form of an interactive DVD will help young professionals in the field make use of this information to develop new movement ideas.

Jayachandran works extensively as a consultant in different parts of the world too. He has led several artistic residencies, presented papers and delivered lecture demonstrations on a range of allied subjects related to movement arts.

With support from the Goethe-Institute/ Max Mueller Bhavan for the Germany in India Festival 2011-2012, Jayachandran is working on Attakkalari’s latest production DanceLogues, set to premiere late 2012 in Delhi. Borrowing from the idea of travelogues and coinciding with the focus of ‘Stadt-Räume-City Spaces’ for the festival, he plans to create a series of DanceLogues — amalgamating short films and contemporary dance vignettes which derive the essence of select characteristic from diverse Indian geographic locations.