Groove to the rhythm

Dance is the hidden language of the soul. These words by acclaimed American choreographer Martha Graham encapsulate the power of this performing art. Keeping in sync with this idea, the National Centre for Performing Arts has introduced Spectrum. The two-day event will present ballroom dancing, hip-hop & jazz, ballet, chair dance soiree, aerial silk and create awareness about them among aspirants.

According to Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, Head Programming — Dance, NCPA, the aim is to not only entertain, but also offer the audience an opportunity to experience world-renowned dance performances.

Sandip Soparrkar will kick-start it with a Latin Ballroom Dance. Along with his troupe, he will also present an interactive session on the different Ballroom forms including Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango as well as Latin American dance forms like Rumba, Samba and Cha Cha.

This will be followed by well-known choreographer Ashley Lobo’s troupe who will showcase the various avatars of hip-hop and jazz. They will introduce the audience to different genres of jazz, like commercial, lyrical, etc and also take them through some great musicals of Broadway and Hollywood like Chicago, The Great Gatsby, etc. Their hip-hop session will move away from the commercial aspect of the dance form, which was developed in the United States in the 1970s. 

Ashley says, “Our performance has an interesting take on hip-hop. For our jazz sequence, we have used steps from a Broadway Dance company choreographer and have approached the classical dance form in a contemporary way.”

While students of Tushna Dallas, one of the leading proponents of ballet in India, will present dual pieces of the artistic dance form and a Russian character folk dance, renowned Flamenco dancer Shahzeen Cassum will showcase an eclectic mix of the folkloric music traditions of Southern Spain. Bollywood actress Smilie Suri will use chair as a prop for her sequence, inspired by cabaret, jazz and acrobatics.

Aditi Deshpande, who has propagated aerial silk as an exercise form, has choreographed a sequence that will showcase its multiple benefits. She says, “The age of the dancers ranges from 8-35. We want to show aerial silk as a workout as well as a dance form. The kids will present how aerial silk is taught to beginners and later it will turn into a performance. Contrary to popular perception, aerial silk is actually a performing art, which has now become famous as a workout. It has immense health benefits that improves your flexibility and tones your muscles.”

Spectrum will be held on February 10 and 11 at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA from 7 pm onwards.